Xero Hour
by ChurchXC
Summary: In a world ruled by a vindictive government, civil rights is dead. A small band of renegades rise against this regime, determined to make a differance. However, they do not know the powers that they face, nor the insane dangers that await.
1. Please Insert Disk

Alright, new story. Now, this won't _seem_ like a Fan Fiction at first, but trust me, it will be. This takes place on a messageboard community I have become a part of called Xero Creative. Its a great board, check it out sometime. This story uses characters from that board.

Later in the story, you will see what I mean by it being a Fan Fiction.

For now, enjoy.

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**Introduction I**

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What good are message boards when free speech is dead?

These questions are raised when the realm of Xero Creative turns upside down. Becoming the equivalent of an anarchy, chaos reigned until one man rose to the challenge and brought order back to the realm. However, this order is brought back with an iron fist, forbidding almost everything that made XC what it was.

Discord rang throughout the realm almost instantly. However, because of the recent incident most commonly called 'The Great Cataclysm', weapons that the denizens had never before laid eyes upon were unleashed upon them, creating an uncountable about of death in their wake.

Rebellion was crushed in almost all but the hardest of hearts.

In secret, these individuals began to gather, plotting the downfall of the tyrannical regime. Working when the eyes of the Leader was not upon them, they strove to increase their ranks and power. Although they were small, they were ready, willing, and prepared to fight.

Welcome to Xero Hour.

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Rain. The giver of life, the tears of the world. Without rain, life would cease to exist. However, little rain fell anymore. The world had given up its tears. The world had wept its eyes out for its children. Now, it was as if it was simply watching in horror as events that completely and totally decimated its children unfolded.

It had not rained within Xero Creative for two months. All of things green wilted as they used up the water hiding deep within the ground. It had been two months since weapons of untold destruction had been unleashed on the populace. Because of the lack of rain, the metallic smell of blood was still strong near the Admin stronghold.

This lack of rain, plus the abrupt ending to the last uprising caused the Admins to grow confident. They believed that, along with the will of the people being striped away from the draught, that their show of power had crushed any thoughts of rebellion in the mind of their people. However, they did not know just how wrong they were.

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Underground, a meeting of five people had begun. It was the type of meeting the Admin had forbidden. It was a meeting with a sole purpose. And that purpose was…

"Revolution," DS said, slamming his fist against the brick wall of the underground structure. He stood in front of the other four, as he spoke. "That's why we agreed to form this group. Everyday, new risks arise. Yet here we stay. Why haven't we made a single move yet?"

"…Do we really have to go over this again?" Jin asked almost lazily, "We're undermanned, under equipped, and under powered. We make a move now, we'd simply be crushed." He tipped his chair back, touching his face with his palm.

Rubbing his temple, DS asked, "And how are we supposed to gain more supporters? By making moves. Now, I do not mean huge moves that will attract instant attention. But at least something so that those above know of our presence."

Rising out of her chair, Kazuma nodded. "He has a point. We're not using all the equipment we can yet and…"

Miguel cut her off with a slashing motion. "Woman, sit down. You have no idea what you're talking about."

Kazuma's eyes widened with indignation. "Woman!? I've worked twice as hard as you! I've done twice as much! I'v-"

Miguel stood up abruptly, knocking his chair behind him. "How would you know?! You have no idea what Jin and I have been working on!"

"…People, can we not fight?" DS called out, still rubbing a temple, "We came here to discuss what to do next, not fight…" However, no one took notice.

"And what is this 'secret project' you two have been working on? I haven't heard any progress on it since you began! We don't even know what it is!" Kazuma called out, taking steps towards Miguel.

Miguel smirked. "You wouldn't understand… only Jin, DS, and myself understand what it is."

Kazuma, now standing in front of Miguel, stabbed him in the chest with her finger. "Then why don't you enlighten us? Or are you three simply slacking while Vergil and myself do all of the work?!"

Looking to Vergil, DS nodded his head. Grinning slightly, Vergil stood and shouted, "Shut up!" His shout echoed through the enclosed space, causing both Miguel and Kazuma to jump. They both turned to look at him as he said, "Now that we have your attention… Can we please get on with the meeting? Kazuma, we have our own project to work on. Can we just focus on the topic at hand?"

Reluctantly, Kazuma walked back to her seat. Before she sat however, she shot a glare at the still standing figure of Miguel. Miguel just smirked as he said, "Women… what are you gonna do?" and sat.

Sighing, DS rubbed the hand he had slammed into the wall. I And they wonder why I try to keep those two apart… /I "Now that that is settled… We need to decide on what to do. Everyday, the grip of the Admins tighten… Jin, how long 'till the project is completed?"

Looking at the ceiling, Jin answered, "Another month, give or take a week."

DS sighed. "We may not have that long…"

Jin snorted. "They all think we died. Of course we have that long." Standing, he let the chair fall to its feet. "Now, instead of wasting time with this meeting… can we get back to our projects?" Without waiting for an answer, he walked towards the steel door, opened it, and left.

Miguel stood with a shrug in DS' direction and followed Jin. Kazuma leapt to her feet, nodded to DS, and left as well. Only DS and Vergil were left. DS walked down the two steps of the platform to reach the chairs that the other four had been sitting in. Shoulders slumping, he let himself flop into one of the chairs.

Vergil stood and walked over to his friend. "Hey… it's been two months. We're all just… cranky I guess."

Nodding, DS said, "I know…"

Patting his shoulder, Vergil turned to run after Kazuma. "Kazzy! Wait up!" His footsteps echoed through the encampment.

Shaking his head, DS pushed himself up from the chair. Running a hand through his black hair, he exited the room through the steel door, closing it with his foot as he left. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he walked down the long barren hall.

The group had been hiding within this underground encampment for two months now. How they had found the place had been purely by accident.

They had been in the uprising against the Admins. They had fought like everyone else. Under Rockanomix, they had risen up against the oppressive regime. Rockanomix had led them into battle, believing the will of the people could overcome the Admins. With a few of his friends, he decided the day they seemed the weakest. And, that day, all who had staged the revolt had been captured or killed. All five of them had stood in the front lines. All five had seen the weapons being unleashed.

And somehow, they had survived. None knew exactly how. All they knew was that the attack began, and just death began to rain upon them, they had somehow shown up here.

That was the project assigned to Kazuma and Vergil. They were searching and building tunnels throughout the compound. They believed that there was a passageway from the battlefield to the compound, and they needed to find it. If it was found, it would make striking at the Admins that much simpler.

Jin and Miguel's project was much more secretive. They were working on a device only those two and DS knew of. DS only knew because he was helping both groups when his time allowed.

DS had his own project he was working on. He was researching the Great Cataclysm, trying to figure out what caused it. He held many theories on it, but had little to no evidence. That subject was taboo in the new Xero Creative society. That and many other things. Any evidence that may have remained were probably in the control of the Admins, or destroyed by them.

However, that was not his only task. He routinely monitored the above surface, trying to determine the mood of the people and what XC was being put through now.

This seemed a mundane task, since new laws passed by the Admins were routinely broadcasted over the loudspeakers throughout XC. The messages were so loud that they could easily be over heard in the compound below.

The group believed that this constant barrage of messages and control would galvanize the populace above, so that when the group reveled themselves, the citizens would eagerly rise to their cause. DS however, believed just the opposite.

"Oi! Watch where you're walkin'!" Miguel yelled, snapping DS out of his daze. "We're bringin' in more equipment now."

Holding up his hands, DS backed up. He had walked farther through the compound then he had known. On the other side of it was Jin and Miguel's workshop. In his daze, DS had crossed the entire encampment to make it to their side.

They had claimed it because it was the room deepest in the ground, and was the one closest to the treasure trove of buried machinery. No one knew why it was there, but most figured it was the Admins doing.

Cocking a brow, Miguel put down the machinery in his arms and crossed the room to face DS, stepping over the wires he had almost trodden on. "Hey, come on. We've been stuck down here for two months. We've just got cabin fever. Don't worry, we'll be out of here soon."

Nodding, DS sighed. He couldn't help but wonder if it would too late when they did leave.

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Up above, in the land touched by the sun, a man bowed, his knees touching the soft red carpet that marked the path through the Grand Chambers of the Admin fortress. Not daring to raise his eyes, Gren simply kept his face to the carpet. "The construction is almost complete."

"Excellent…" a masculine voice said. At the end of the carpet were steps that rose monumentally to a platform high above the ground. Upon that platform was a semicircle made of ordinatly-decorated chairs. Upon each chair sat a figure. However, all were clocked in darkness. The hall was bright in all but the platform. This was so that any who entered could be seen, but could not see those on the platform.

"You may rise…" A feminine voice said. "You have done well…" As Gren rose to his feet, a smile grew on his face.

Smoothing his black t-shirt, he bowed at the waist. "Thank you. This means much from you all…"

"Now go…" Another voice called, "You must see its completion. Do not report until it is."

Bowing once more, Gren turned on his heel and hurried from the Grand Chamber. The large doors at the end of the Chamber opened as he approached, and closed behind him without a sound.

Up atop the platform, the figure near the center of the semicircle smiled, its red eyes all that could be seen in the darkness.

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Yes, its a bit slow, but... I need to build things up before anything can happen. I hope you liked, regardless.

This **will not die.** I refuse it too. So, it will be updated. Maybe a bit slowly, but it will.

For now... review, tell me what you think, and wait for the bloodshed. It'll happen.


	2. Reading Disk

Leaving DS in the hallway, Miguel pushed a button on a panel beside the door to the workshop, causing the door to slid into the wall, allowing entrance to the room. Bending down, he picked up the machinery he had been carrying, and blowing a piece of silver hair out of his eyes, walked into the workshop.

The door closed behind Miguel as the man set the part on a table next to the door. Unbuckling the straps on his red hooded sweatshirt, he shrugged it off. Grabbing a leather jacket from one of the hooks beside the door, he pulled it on over his white undershirt. He also attached a pair of fireproof chaps to his pants. Running a hand through his hair, he called out for Jin.

A metallic thud was audible from under a large, metallic platform. "Sonuvabitch…" He grumbled, emerging from under the platform. Pushing himself off of the steel dolly he had been laying on, he raised the blackened goggles from his eyes and pushed them to his forehead. "Sheesh Mig… you know I'm working with valuable equipment here…"

Miguel laughed as Jin whipped oil off of his face. Jin rolled his eyes as he threw Miguel a pair of goggles. "So, did you get the piece we need?"

Grinning, Miguel said, "I found something better."

"…What do you mean?" Jin asked, cleaning more of the oily gunk off of his face.

"I found us a part that will put us one month ahead of schedule if we get to work right now."

Face breaking into an insane grin, Jin hurried over to where Miguel was standing. "Lets get to work. We'll have a surprise for everyone in the morning."

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Deep within the compound, DS slammed his shoulder into an old, rusty metal door. This door had never been open since they had occupied the compound. DS' curiosity had gotten the better of him. He wanted to know what the door held. It was right next to his own room, and at the very center of the compound. For all he knew, it could be a broom closet.

However, he could not understand why it was so difficult to open the door, nor what the strange symbol on it stood for. A large, red and black symbol, encircled in yellow. He felt as if he had seen it before, but he could not determine where.

Bending down, DS grabbed the crowbar he had brought from his room, and stuck it between the door and the wall. He would get to see what was in that room before the day was over.

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Pulling the gloves tight onto her hands, Kazuma looked to the stall next to her. "All suited up?"

She heard a groan from outside her stall door. "I've been down for five minutes now," Vergil said, "can you hurry it up a bit?"

Shaking her head, she checked to make sure her gear was all in place. "Men… no damn patience what so ever…" Weapons were strapped onto her tight black pants. Two daggers where hidden within her boots. Two more knives where hidden within the elbow length gloves she had just pulled on. Only her sleeveless shirt held no weapons. Opening the door, she stepped out into the outer most part of the base, where Vergil was waiting.

He was also adorned in all black, as Kazuma. Weapons where hidden in various places within his black boots, long, slightly baggy pants and long sleeved shirt. Even his short, fingerless gloves held punching daggers.

The red trench coat he usually wore however was still in the stall he had changed clothes in. Red was not a color that one wore on a scouting mission.

Everyday, the propaganda message that would play in the town above would get slightly louder. The ground had begun to resonate from the sheer volume of the message. However, Jin did not believe it was just the message.

Grabbing a small pistol and sticking it in one of his hip holsters, Vergil looked to Kazuma. "Do you think Jin is right? That the Admins could be drilling down here?"

Checking the blades in her gloves, Kazuma shook her head. "Not possible. What would they have to do down here, below a town that has shown no resistance?"

Walking towards the tall, thick steel door that divided the complex from the underground tunnels that Kazuma and himself had dug, Vergil asked, "But what about us?"

Kazuma, who was already ahead of him, shook her head. "Verg, if they knew we where here, we'd know for sure. I don't think they'd just drill." Shaking her head, she opened the door and ran into the network of tunnels.

"…But what if they aren't drilling?" Vergil asked himself, before running out into the tunnels.

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High above the underground complex, a message roared from loudspeakers all over the town. However, that was not the only sound. Screams of agony, metallic crunching, and the sound of burning wood and brick splintering from heat also resonated.

"Reggie… you did well…" JC Denton said, a hint of disgust evident in his voice.

Sneering, Reggie turned to look at the burning city. "Ah… what a marvelous site! What carnage! The sweet smell of roasted flesh accompanied by the screams of the damned… Isn't it lovely?"

JC shuddered as he saw Reggie lick his lips. He had been ordered by the Admins themselves, may they live forever, to bring Reggie and a small group of Mavericks with him and question the town about a series of large energy spikes that had been recorded within this valley.

However, things had gotten out of hand. Someone had shot at Reggie, or so the story went. Reggie retaliated by having the Mavericks destroy the entire village.

JC had not minded however. His orders had been to destroy the village if evidence was inconclusive. And, he had asked the townspeople two questions after all. That should be enough.

The joy Reggie took in the destruction however… that was just not healthy.

"JC!" Reggie shouted urgently, rubbing his hands on his formally white, now red shirt, "The energy levels!"

Running to the hovercraft that had brought them to this desolate waste, JC jumped into it, taking off his short leather coat as he did so. Pulling one of the cords that ran from under his skin, he plugged into the main computer of the hovercraft. Instantly, the energy readings were displayed in front of his eyes.

Gasping, he began to make typing motions with his hands in midair. The onboard computer responded. "Tracking…" a metallic voice rung out.

Reggie walked slowly up to the craft as JC began to work on tracing where the energy was being channeled. He was one of the few men who could link directly with the computers. He was basically a cyborg. Handpicked by the Administration, they were some of the ultimate warriors the Empire had to offer. Why, Reggie did not know. He just knew it was possible to become one. That's what he was trying to do.

"Got it." JC said, jacking out of the computer and letting the cord retract back into his skin. Pulling on his jacket, he read the coordinates off to Reggie.

Reggie's jaw dropped. "But… that's underground… DEEP underground."

JC nodded. "There is a network of tunnels below us. A few feet from us is one that breaches the surface. Take a few Mavericks down there, and destroy whatever is sucking up this amount of electricity."

Faltering, Reggie stammered, "You aren't coming along?!"

JC shook his head. "I have to report these readings to the Admins. I will be with you when I can." Without looking at Reggie, he touched one of the buttons on the Hovercraft, letting it spring to life and rocket away.

Staring after it, Reggie made a realization. "If I handle this before he gets back… I'll be promoted for sure…" Grinning, he walked over to the place JC had read off as being nearest to him. With his army of Mavericks… he would destroy this underground before they even knew what had hit them.

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Pushing the metal dolly out from beneath the large platform, Miguel wiped sweat from his brow. They had been working for 5 hours straight; trying to hook everything up and make sure everything was operational. So far, they everything had gone smoothly.

"Dammit…" Jin muttered as he threw a wrench across the room, "What the hell is wrong with this thing?! All its doing now is sucking up electric. It should be operational!"

Sitting up, Miguel shrugged. As far as he knew, nothing was wrong with the machine. However, each time they attempted to activate it, nothing happened.

Rising to his feet, Jin took off his goggles and headed to the door. "I'm getting something to drink… going to cool my head for a bit." Without another word, he punched in the key code, and left.

Sighing, Miguel stood and stretched, letting his spine pop. He had been on his back underneath the platform the entire 5 hours. Jin had been on top, working on the ring. He groaned. "I think I forgot what life was like standing up…" he muttered, trying to loosen his body.

As he did so, a blinking light near a large computer terminal got his attention. Curious, he walked around the machinery scattered throughout the compound, and sat down in front of it. It was Jin's computer. Waving the mouse once, he clicked the blinking icon on the screen.

"What in the world…" he mumbled, leaning closer. It was a map of the entire base. A single room was lighting up and blinking for some reason. However, it was a room that took up the majority of the compound, one that Miguel had never seen before. It had never been on a map before.

It was a room right beside DS', and it was as big as the rest of the compound combined.

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Outside, Kazuma skidded to a halt. Vergil and herself had been doing routine checkups on the area for an hour, and then began to explore some of the tunnels higher up. However, the ground had begun to resonate much more so then before.

"Kazzy… what do you think…?" Vergil asked from behind, a hand nervously unhooking the gun at his belt.

"Honestly? I would rather not know…" She mumbled.

Reaching into his back pocket, Vergil pulled out a few tiny metallic objects, and began to stick them to the walls of the tunnel. Kazuma looked at him questioningly.

As soon as he was finished, Vergil grabbed Kazuma's arm, and began running back through the tunnels. "What are you doing?!" Kazuma shouted, outraged.

"Whatever it is is coming this way… And I don't think we should be sticking around…" He said as the tunnel shook.

Kazuma ripped her arm out of his grasp. "How can you say that?! I'm done being bossed around… I'm finding out what is causing those disturbances now!" And with that she ran back down the hall.

Groaning, Vergil took off after her. However, he did not have to run far. A large, metallic being fell through the roof of the tunnel. Kazuma jumped back, alarmed. Vergil pulled out both of the pistols from his hip holsters.

The robot raised its head, the red lights it had for eyes blinking rapidly before going dull. The head fell, breaking off from the body and rolled down to Vergil, who picked it up.

"…What is it?" Kazuma asked.

Looking back at her, Vergil whispered one word. "Mavericks."

An insane laughter floated through the tunnel as they fled.

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Red lights began flashing within the compound. "Proximity breached. Proximity breached. I repeat, all personal, report to defensive stations. Proximity breached."

DS shut off his computer monitor, kicked open his door and ran towards Jin's workshop. He met the man halfway. Jin's usual work clothes were stained with oil, his blue shirt now a darkish green, his glasses the only clean part on his face.

"DS! What's going on?!" Jin shouted over the alarm.

"Reports from Kazuma and Vergil! We have Mavericks approaching!"

Jin's eyes widened. "They found us… it must have been the energy spikes from the machine… they found us…"

DS grabbed a hold of his shoulders. "How long until it works?"

Jin shrugged. "If the problem is what I think… ten minutes."

DS swallowed. "That's how long until the Mavericks reach us."

Jin's eyes widened. "Follow me, we have work to finish." And with that, the two ran down the hall towards the workshop where Miguel still worked, hoping they could activate the machine before their lives became forfeit.

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Its been a little bit. I was in Ohio, no real access to computers. I'll be gone for a few days, so the next chapter may be late as well. I'm hoping it won't... 


	3. Read ERROR

Inside the tunnels, Kazuma and Vergil were running for their lives, their breathing labored, the muscles aching. They had traveled deep into the tunnels earlier that day, and now they had to retrace that distance.

"Vergil…" Kazuma breathed, "You have the tunnel system memorized?"

Stumbling at the question. Vergil just stared at her, a brow arched.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm going to turn off the lights in the tunnel. Any hindrance we can dish out, we need to supply. It won't be too big of one, but this way, it will take them longer to see us, and it will be easier to see them."

Vergil just nodded. Both Kazuma and himself had memorized the tunnels so that they would not get lost as they traversed the depths. However, they had never ran them blind. It would be dangerous, but this way they wouldn't light up the path for the Mavericks and they would be able to see them by their own lights.

Touching the earpiece in her right ear, Kazuma muttered a few words. All at once, the tunnels were plunged into darkness.

And still, the pair ran.

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Elsewhere in the tunnel, Reggie crackled as the Mavericks marched forward. They were grunt type, bulky in design and pretty slow. However, Reggie was known for being able to push Mavericks beyond their limits. As of now, the group of fifty Mavericks were moving at a much faster pace then ever recorded.

A small, robotic screen floated in front Reggie as he piloted the small, one man, rough terrain vehicle that had been left to him. On the one part of the screen was an image of the tunnel system, the other part, Kazuma and Vergil.

Grinning, Reggie shouted out an order to the Mavericks. They stopped their race and stood still for a moment before restarting, this time moving much faster. Reggie had had his group modified with treads at the bottom of their large feet to ensure faster movement. The Administration had praised him for the idea, and started plans to begin making that customization uniform.

Stroking the screen as he increased the speed of his vehicle, he said, "Ah… you poor little chumps… the death of one of my Mavericks was worth it to find you… Even as you run, I can trace your every move. You will lead us back to your own base!"

All at once, the tunnels plunged into darkness. "Lights!" Reggie shouted. Immediately, the Mavericks at the head of the column turn on bright, incandescent lights.

Reggie's grin turned into a sick smile. So there were more then those two down here, and the others knew they were coming… "Good. I wanted a fight."

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Skidding to a halt, Jin quickly typed the entrance code into his workshop door. The door slid aside quickly, letting DS and himself in. "Mig!" Jin shouted, "Status!"

Standing on the large platform he had previously been working on was Miguel. Without looking away from the large, horizontal ring placed in center of the platform, he said, "It's exactly what you said it was. There was a short between the uplinks. I need your help now!"

As Jin grabbed a pair of goggles and his tools, DS ran to the large computer Miguel had previously been at. Jumping into the chair, he began to hammer on the keys. He flashed through screens rapidly as he accessed the Complex Mainframe.

Quickly, he began to input the codes for the defense mechanisms for the base, while inputting Kazuma's and Vergil's heat signatures. This would allow those two to pass through the defensive line without being fired at. As did that, he also inputted Miguel's, Jin's, and his own. They would have to fight to survive this onslaught.

Switching over to a different screen, DS began to divert power from the base to the base defense and Jin's workshop. The enemy already knew they were there. Might as well make a grand showing.

Switching to another screen, he brought up the cameras hidden throughout the tunnel system. He kept tapping keys to cycle through the inferred cameras. As soon as he locked onto the camera with that displayed the Mavericks, he gasped.

"What's wrong?" Miguel asked, still working on the machine.

"Nothing," DS lied, "Just hurry." Fifty Mavericks were coming this way, and at their head, Reggie. Reggie alone was enough to worry anyone. Why the Administration would use a manic like that was anyone's guess, but the fact was, he was coming here, with an army.

Pressing a button, he made the computer switch between cameras as the army progressed towards them. Within a few keystrokes, he brought up another screen with Vergil and Kazuma on it. Touching a small button, he leaned close to a small microphone set but off to the side. "Verg, Kazzy, say I if you read."

A faint "I!" came over the speakers almost immediately.

"Alright, you guys have permission to use the emergency tunnels. We need you back here as soon as possible. The defensive grid is online. You know what to do after you get out of the tunnels," DS said into the microphone.

On the screen, Vergil and Kazuma suddenly separated, and ran straight towards the walls of the tunnels. The hologram projecting the illusion shimmered as they passed.

As soon as DS saw this, he began to type once more. This time, it was to close off the large, metal blast doors so that the tunnel could not be accessed. Leaning back in his chair, DS sighed. Kazuma and Vergil would be here in a few minutes. The Mavericks and Reggie would be here almost immediately after that.

"Hey! It's almost done!" Jin shouted from behind him.

Jumping from his chair, DS ran to a panel on the machine, and began typing the input codes. Their was only a matter of minutes left, and if the robot army already was chasing them, how long the had to be still connected to one of the Administration's energy grid was anyone's guess.

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Reggie frowned. He had reached the place where Kazuma and Vergil suddenly disappeared from his screen. Angrily, he barked out another order. The Mavericks halted immediately. Two in the middle of the line broke formation and began shooting into one of the walls of the tunnel.

"Now… they disappeared this tunnel…" Reggie murmured to himself as he began to touch the small screen, "But before they did, they ran at a wall…"

The two Mavericks stopped shooting as they hit metal. "Commander!" One of them said, turning its head 180 degrees to look at him, "We have found large metal slabs hidden in the cavern walls. Permission to destroy?"

Reggie grinned. "Have at it."

The two Mavericks stepped back as two more stepped forward. These ones were carrying four small orbs each. Placing the orbs on the door, they stepped back. Four more stepped forward as the rest of the army retreated. The four placed themselves right in front of the door as the eight orbs exploded, those four taking the frontal shockwave of the explosion as the door fell in.

Throwing his head back, Reggie laughed. At the cost of five Mavericks, he would destroy the biggest annoyance to the Administration yet. Without a word, he advanced, his small, armoured vehicle rolling towards the door as the Mavericks followed.

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Jin leapt from the platform, and gazed at the large ring atop it. "Done!" He shouted.

DS clapped his hands together as he finished imputing his part of the code. Miguel sat lazily on the platform. "Took you both long enough. I finished my code thirty seconds ago…"

Jin rolled his eyes. "Alright. We gotta do this…"

DS shook his head. "We have to wait for Kazuma and Vergil. When we turn this thing on, it will suck up so much energy that I don't think the defense grid will read heat signatures. It will suck up too much energy for it to do it."

Running a hand through his hair, Miguel groaned. "How far are they?"

Outside, a pounding could be heard on the workshop door.

Leaping over the cords running to the machine, Miguel slammed on the button that opened the door. As soon as he did, Kazuma and Vergil fell in, exhausted from running. Miguel let the door close as he helped the two up.

As he helped Kazuma up, he muttered, "Good run. Glad you finally got here."

She let it pass, as she was far to tired to even say a word.

Instead, Vergil raised a hand to point at the machine and say one simple word, "What?"

Jin jumped on the platform. "Alright, quick explanation so you two know what your getting into… DS?"

Leaning against his console, DS sighed. "We know something is wrong with this world. We've known it since we got here. _Because this world shouldn't exist."_

Kazuma and Vergil both looked astonishingly at DS. "That… That's nonsense!" Kazuma murmured, "We're here, aren't we?!"

"Yes, but we're not supposed to. Most have forgotten… but things haven't always been this way. This is an illusion… or, at least that's what I call it. Or, have you forgotten? XC wasn't a place where we lived… it was a message board. Something happened… Something that made this place real, and us its inhabitants…" DS ran a hand through his hair.

"So… your saying that what the "Great Cataclysm" was was us actually coming to this place?" Vergil asked slowly.

DS nodded. "However, this wasn't the only world made real, and the Admins knew this. That is how they gained their power. By traveling to the other worlds and gaining the power of that world."

Jin nodded. "DS figured that out. We both hacked into the Administration Mainframe, and confirmed it. So… We created this." He said, gesturing to the platform, "An Internetwork Gateway. This Gateway will take you to the world you are most fit to live in, and give you the powers your fighting instincts match the most. Its based off the Administration's own designs, so we know it will work."

"…What if your fit to live in two worlds?" Kazuma asked slowly.

Miguel snorted, "The chances of that are so small… Its not likely to happen, so don't worry your little head."

Kazuma pulled out a knife and aimed it at him. "Don't tempt me."

DS shook his head. "Can we get a move on? We have an enemy on the income." The computer flashed a bright red screen that read, "WARNING! OUTER DEFENSE BREACHED."

Jin nodded, "Vergil, you first."

Vergil looked at Jin as if he was crazy. Jin gestured him towards the ring.

Taking a breath, Vergil stepped closer to the platform. It was a large contraption, taking up a third of the workshop's ground space. The platform itself was basically a large, steel box two feet off the ground with a ramp leading up to it. The ring itself was about ten feet high, and multiple colours. Lights flashed along the outer edge of it.

"Just go!" Miguel shouted, pushing Vergil up the ramp.

Stumbling, Vergil yelled, "Don't push!" right before he fell through the ring.

It took simply a split second. Vergil was through the ring. However, he was clothed completely different. Black boots reached knee high, meeting a pair of blood red pants. A black belt touched a blood read vest with three straps keeping it closed. A long black-sleeved shirt was underneath the vest, covered partially by a long, red trench coat. Gloved hands held two pistols, and on his back was a long, heavy sword.

Miguel whistled. "Welcome to our world, Dante."

Vergil blinked as he looked at his clothing, astonished. Reaching back, he touched the hilt of the longsword on his back. Grinning he looked up at the group. "Let's rock."

Miguel couldn't help but grin. "My turn." Running up the ramp, he jumped into the ring, appearing on the other side as quickly as Vergil.

He grinned. "Buso Renkin eh?" He said. As he did, two long katars appeared on each hand. One was etched in the image of flames, and seemed to move as if actual fire. The other looked as if made of ice. Other then that, he was clothed as he normally was.

"Kazzy, you're up." Jin said.

Nodding, Kazuma walked up the ramp. She took a deep breath before walking through the ring. It took two seconds for her to pass through the ring before she appeared on the other side.

"You always take so long girly?" Miguel asked.

Dressed in the robes of the Jedi, Kazuma raised a hand that gripped a lightsaber. "I'd lighten up on the jokes Miggy, unless you want to see what it's like being a girl."

Miguel immediately shut up.

"DS, go." Jin said, ignoring the comments behind him as he operated the ring.

Nodding, DS walked towards the ring. "See you on the other side." He said, grinning. Miguel gave him a thumb up as he stepped through.

As soon as his foot entered the area beneath the ring, DS was sucked into that space. Unlike the others, who disappeared upon entering the ring, DS was fully visible. His arms were spread out, his feet a foot off the ground. Head thrown back, he screamed soundlessly.

"What's wrong with him?!" Kazuma shouted.

"He's trapped between the space of three worlds!" Jin yelled, typing rapidly on the console for the ring.

"I thought you said that couldn't happen!" Vergil yelled, approaching the ring.

"DON'T GET NEAR IT!" Miguel yelled, blocking the ring off. "If you get too close, you'll be trapped too, making it trapped between four worlds. He's trapped between the two he could fit in, and here."

Jin turned from the console. "Everyone, out!"

"I'm not leaving until he's out of there!" Kazuma shouted.

"The enemy will be here in two minutes! Would you rather fight out there, or here, where DS could be shot while in this thing?!" Miguel yelled.

Hesitantly, both Kazuma and Vergil turned and walked towards the door, Miguel pushing them from behind.

All the while, Jin was hammering at the console, struggling to free the still screaming DS.

* * *

This one's out a bit earlier since I messed up the timing for the last one. I wanted more to happen in this chapter, but it kind of got a life of its own. So... enjoy the cliffhanger! 

Piro


	4. Game Data Selected

Alarms blared as Kazuma took the lead of the small group of warriors. Throughout the twists and turns of the complex they ran, all the while a proximity alarm began to blare. "ENEMY DETECTED AT SEVEN HUNDRED METERS AND CLOSING!" The robotic voice of the compound's network shouted as if in pain.

In reality, it more then likely was. For, each meter that the outside Maverick army gained, it had to fight its way through numerous defensives that Jin, Miguel, and DS had come up with and equipped, and even more that the base had already had.

Nearing a fork in the path, each Underground member separated, and took one of three paths. There were actually numerous ways out of the complex, yet only one way into it. It was a failsafe created by whoever had formed the it, to ensure warriors could get outside to fight any threat, yet the enemy only had one true option to get in.

Sprinting down his hallway, Vergil scowled in frustration. He was one who would have been much happier if he could test his powers first. As it stood now, he had no idea what he could do, or what he could not. All he knew was that he appeared as Dante, and had Dante's weapons.

However, he had not noticed one very important thing. Even after running through the entire complex, he was not tired. His limbs did not ache with fatigue as they had a few simple moments ago, before he had entered the Internetwork Gateway. The demonic blood of Dante now flowed through his body, empowering him.

Barely slowing down as he neared the door to the outside, Vergil raised a booted foot and kicked the heavy steel door ahead of him. With a faint [Iclick[/I it swung open. A slight grin lighting his face, he leapt through the door, down the ten meters to the ground.

Blinking, Kazuma simply looked foreword as Vergil landed directly in front of her. "Why hello there…" She muttered.

Turning, Vergil simply grinned. "Heh, that felt good. Ya ready babe?" He asked as he pulled out his twin revolvers, Ebony and Ivory.

Rolling her eyes, Kazuma nodded. "Don't call me babe."

Not hearing her, Vergil looked forward. The entire are was alit only by the spotlights of the Mavericks, and the lights from weaponry that was being fired at an insane pace.

"Looks kinda like a firework show, doesn't it?" Miguel asked through the communication link still in place in Kazuma's ear, "Why don't we add to it? I think we can make it look a lot better then these losers can."

Running forward, Vergil couldn't help but grin as he began to fire at the Mecha Army. Quickly, the Mavericks turned their attention on the three new enemies as the defensive grid stopped its barrage of fire. It could not fire with its own people outside, more then likely to be hit in the crossfire.

Shooting two in the eyes, Vergil quickly gained on one of the lead Mavericks. Wasting no time, he shoved the gun in his right hand back in its holster, and reached back to grab the hilt of his large sword, Alasator. Rapidly, he brought the sword down, slicing cleanly through the large, Maverick.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Miguel was beginning to get the hang of his Buso Renkin, or Arms Alchemy. Slicing with his left hand, he froze the air in front of him, capturing the bullets that flew his way. The bottoms of his feet covered in ice, he rapidly neared the line of Mavericks, his right fist clenched, the long katar on it shining with intense heat.

Slicing diagonally, Miguel cut through two Mavericks with ease, the heat from his katar melting the their steel bodies like butter. Grinning, he ran to the next set of Mavericks, determined to kill the most.

On the other flank was Kazuma. Lightsaber in hand, she easily deflected the laser blasts a few of the other Mavericks liked to use. Most returned to the Maverick that shot it, destroying it.

Soon however, the Mavericks began to use more conventional bullets. As soon as they began, Kazuma deactivated her Lightsaber and Force jumped herself out of the range of the barrage. As soon as she did so, she used the force to slam two of the Mavericks into each other, their heads first. This destroyed both pair, causing the others to fire with more ferocity at Kazuma.

However, it was not because of vengeance that they did so, and Kazuma knew that. It was simply because they did not want to be next.

---------------------------------------

Back behind the ranks of machines, Reggie swore. The Mavericks were not supposed to lose! There had been nothing that could stop them! Nothing! No one had dared to raise a hand against them! And now, this… this rag tag bunch of idiots were rising up, destroying the army he had worked so hard to secure?! This was madness!

"THIS IS THE UNDERGROUND!" He heard someone scream from the front line of Mavericks.

Worriedly, Reggie jumped back into the small, one-man car he had ridden in. Grabbing the small screen, he touched its screen. "Come on… Come on…" He muttered. He had to contact JC soon or…

"What is it Reggie?" JC asked, his annoyance evident in his voice.

"Boss! The energy spikes were caused by a group of people living deep underground, apparently." Reggie said rapidly into the screen, "But they're more prepared then we thought! They're wiping out my Mavericks as I speak!"

This got JC's attention. "They're… destroying your army of Mavericks?" He asked slowly.

"DID I STUTTER DAMMIT?!" Reggie screamed.

JC stared straight at Reggie. "You want my help, you won't speak to me like that, boy. I'll be there shortly. I'm almost at the tunnels."

Reggie's eyes bulged. "They'll have the entire army destroyed by then!"

Grinning, JC said, "Don't worry. I can move faster then just a lowly human. They won't stand a chance once I get there." And, without another word, the screen went black.

Looking nervously towards the traitors, Reggie could only hope that JC would get there first.

---------------------------------------------

Inside the base, Jin hammered on the consol to the Gateway rapidly. DS still floated a few feet off of the ground, his head thrown back in a silent scream of agony. Wiping the sweat off of his head with the back of his hand, he couldn't help but mutter a string of curses. Why was it taking so damn long?!

"ENEMY DETECTED AT 600 METERS." The computer shouted once more.

"I KNOW DAMMIT! SHUT THE HELL UP!" Jin screamed, slamming his hands onto the consol.

As he did so, DS disappeared from behind him.

Looking back hesitantly, Jin swallowed as he saw the empty space. "Oh shit…"

-------------------------------------------

Cutting through another Maverick, Miguel grinned. "15!" he shouted.

"Fifteen," Vergil said, putting Alasator back on his back.

"How many did you get Kazzy?" Miguel shouted to her over the wreckage.

Without looking at him she said simply, "Twenty."

Miguel stared after her, not believing her as she chuckled.

Standing straight to crack his back, Vergil noticed something farter behind the last line of defeated Mavericks in the darkness. "Hey guys? Any clue what that is?"

Looking to where Vergil was pointing, Miguel grinned. "I don't care what it is, it dies with the rest of these Admin pieces of shit!"

"Mig, wait!" Kazuma shouted after him, but to no avail. He had already stared sprinting towards the small one manned car.

Before he could reach it however, the door blew open. "So! You wish to face the monstrous power of Reggie?! Are you sure you can stand it?!"

Not stopping as the door opened, Miguel grinned. "God, this is my lucky day! Kickass powers, and a chance to kill Reggie? Thank you God!"

Reggie's eyes widened as he saw that Miguel would not stop. "No… wait!" He shouted, throwing his hands out in defense.

Not listening, Miguel stabbed with his right hand quickly. Bringing his hand back to his side, he could hear Vergil groan behind him.

Walking beside him, Kazuma looked at Reggie, who had collapsed to the floor in pain. "What did you do?" She asked slowly.

Miguel simply grinned. Nudging the whimpering body of Reggie, he pointed to the man's hands, which we now holding his groin. "Use your imagination."

As he turned to walk away, he heard Kazuma vomit. Chuckling, he began to walk back towards the complex just as Vergil shouted a warning. The next thing he saw was complete darkness.

----------------------------------------

JC Denton grinned as he sprinted through the tunnel system, traveling at a much faster pace then any human could go. He had followed the battle as he traveled back from his meeting with the Admins.

Truth be told, once he saw that Reggie would lose, he had slowed his pace just a little. No sense hurrying. He didn't mind if Reggie died. The only thing that bothered him was having to lose all of those Mavericks first. That was the real pity here.

However, he could see the three people gathered in the darkness. "Bingo…" he said under his breath as he increased his speed. Aiming for the one that had just stabbed Reggie, he slammed his fist into the back of the man's head. The man buckled instantly, falling to the ground.

Stopping in between the man in the red coat and the girl in the robes, he scowled. "Well, I hope you enjoyed your warm-up, because you just entered a completely different ballgame."

The man in red pulled out two pistols and began firing at JC, who simply dodged to the side before the man had even pulled the trigger. Before the man could blink, JC was behind him.

"The Mavericks lost to you guys? Are you sure it wasn't just some kind of fluke? You move far too slow for that to have ever happened…" JC whispered into Vergil's ear.

Snarling, Vergil gripped his sword and turned, slashing horizontally with it.

JC simply jumped straight into the air, landing on Vergil's blade. However, he did not expect the sword to electrocute him with its own electricity. Stunned, he fell off of the blade.

"….A nasty little trick you have, Dante…" JC said, the snarl now on his face, "I was going to let you stay conscience for a few moments longer, but now… How about I repay you!" Thrusting out his hands, volts of electricity flew at Vergil, first knocking Alasator out of his hands, then wrapping around to bind the demonic man. The constant surge of electricity proved to be too much for Vergil, who fell to his knees.

Gazing down at the man, JC shrugged. "Hm… you have a lot more endurance then I'd give you credit for… But, you'll fall. Everyone does."

Still on her knees near Reggie, Kazuma could not tear her eyes away from JC. "Brother…." She said quietly, "I thought you were dead…"

Cracking his knuckles, JC smiled at his little sister. "Ah… Kazuma… My little sister…. Its time to die now."

Seemingly rooted to the ground, Kazuma could do nothing but stare as her brother neared her.

-----------------------------------------------------

Inside the complex, Jin was typing rapidly on the consol, trying to figure out what had happened to DS. "Come on… there has to be some trace… something!" He moaned.

However, no matter how much he searched, he could not find anything.

The main computer flashed red once more. "NEW ENEMY, 1000 METERS AND CLOSING RAPIDLY! NEW ENEMY, 900 METERS AND CLOSING RAPIDLY!"

Hearing this, Jin looked up from his consol. "What could be moving that fast…?" He muttered, hurrying to main computer. When he reached it, he quickly brought up the scene outside.

He could do nothing but stare as the cameras locked on something that his eyes could not even follow. As Miguel fell, Jin quickly brought up another screen and began to reactivate the defensive grid. JC had to be stopped before he could kill anyone.

A faint groan from behind him made Jin jump. "Please say someone else hasn't reached the base…." He prayed as he turned. Instead, he saw DS, lying crumpled at the other side of the Gateway.

Throwing the chair behind him, Jin ran to the Gateway, jumping onto the platform before sliding to a stop next to the fallen form of DS. For a moment he thought he was dead, as there was no signs of breathing. However, as he crouched next to the man, DS' hand snaked out and gripped Jin's arm.

Jin could not help but wince as DS grabbed his arm. DS' grip had never been that strong before. What had changed?

"Jin…" DS whispered as he pulled himself up slowly, "What day is it?"

Jin simply blinked. "…What do you mean what day is it? You've been trapped in the Internetwork Gateway for only a few minutes…"

DS' eyes widened. "Then… there's still time."

Jin met DS' eyes and could not help but stare. "DS…." He asked quietly, "since when were your eyes blue?"

Slowly standing, DS shook his head. "I'll tell you later Jin… I have work to do finish." And with that, DS was gone, almost before Jin could blink.

It was only after, when Jin went back through the occurrence in his mind, would he realize that DS' former clothes had turned into a bright red shirt and pants.

It was fitting, in a way.

-----------------------------------------------------

Slowly, JC neared Kazuma as he grinned like a madman.

Too frightened to move, Kazuma could do nothing but stare at her brother. She could not even make her mouth form the one question she wanted to ask. [IWhy?[/I

"Hmph…" JC said as he towered over the crouching form of his sister, "Pathetic… utterly pathetic… You are a prime example of why humanity fails so completely…"

Kazuma looked up as JC held out a hand over her head. "Die." He said simply.

Kazuma closed her eyes, fearing the blow. But the blow never came. Hesitantly she opened her eyes and looked up at JC. He still had his hand held over her, yet his eyes were wide. As he turned, two blasts of bright, yellow energy slammed into him.

"Why don't you pick on someone who can handle it?" A voice yelled from the door of the base. Both Kazuma's and JC's eyes headed towards the voice. And neither recognized the owner.

Standing in the door way was a man dressed entirely in red clothing and armour. A red helmet with white stripes covered his head, while a black visor attached to the helmet covered the rest of his face. His left arm held his right, which was not truly an arm, but something that looked more like a cannon barrel.

JC scowled at the man. "And you think you can handle me?!" he shouted at the man in red.

The front part of the helmet slid back to revile the man's smirking mouth. "Think? Someone at your level? That would be all too easy. Run away while you still have the chance."

JC's eyes widened in rage. "What did you say punk?!" He screamed before running full force at the man.

Shaking his head, the man aimed the arm cannon at JC, the barrel of which began to glow a bright yellow.

JC crackled with electricity as he ran towards the man, hate filling his eyes. "Try to handle this head on!" He screamed as he neared the man.

Just as JC was about to attack, the man released the shot that had been charging in his arm weapon. The shot hit JC full force in the chest, causing him to fly backwards, hitting the windshield of Reggie's car.

Bouncing off of the windshield, JC landed next to Reggie. "What… power…" he muttered, "My… my lord, did… you see that?"

A comm. link clicked alive as someone answered, "Affirmative…. Emergency Release One. Return to home with Reggie."

Nodding to himself, JC threw an arm over Reggie. "You… You haven't seen the last of us!"

Grinning, the man said, "Send your armies. There's no man or machine that can stop me."

Snarling, JC and Reggie disappeared in a beam of light.

As soon as they were gone, the man sprinted to the still form of Kazuma. "Kazzy… are you alright?"

Kazuma blinked as the man neared her. "Wh….Who are you?" She asked, a bit of hysterics entering her voice.

"Oh… sorry…" the man said. A slight glow enveloped him for a brief moment. When the glow faded, the armour and helmet were gone. DS looked down on Kazuma. "Come on," he said, his voice now normal, "We have to get out of here fast. The Admins are coming."

* * *

That was fun. Any guesses on which power DS got? 


	5. Game Start

Kazuma looked up at DS, her face showing her slight confusion. "I'll explain when we get everyone in the same room…" Holding out a hand, he gripped Kazuma's hand, pulling her to her feet. "First… we need to get these guys back into base…" He said, turning to look at the fallen form of Miguel and Vergil.

The electric bonds that had held Vergil captive had faded when JC had teleported. However, the electricity had done its job, causing the now half demon to become unconscious.

Miguel had landed on his face when JC had rushed him and attacked him from behind. A large bump was forming on the back of his head from the place JC's fist had connected. He, however, was starting to stir, unlike Vergil.

Hand touching the back of his head, Miguel groaned. "What… the [Ihell[/I just happened…" He muttered, placing his right hand on the rocky ground to push himself up. For a second, his gaze was blank as he looked around the dark tunnel. Eyes once more adjusting to the semi darkness, Miguel's mouth dropped open. "What… the FUCK happened here?!"

Kazuma shook her head as she neared Miguel. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She said simply, helping Miguel to his feet. Stumbling, he threw an arm around her shoulders to keep himself up.

Looking back, Kazuma saw DS pick up Vergil and gently put him over his shoulder, Vergil's sword in the other hand. Helping Miguel walk, she headed back to base, her mind racing. However, she did not voice any of her thoughts aloud just yet. DS said he would explain things back in the complex. Hopefully someone there would be able to give at least a little insight into her thoughts.

The door to the complex swung open as Jin ran out to meet them. Seeing Vergil slung over DS' shoulder, Jin hurried to DS and took the sword from him so he could support Vergil with both hands.

"Jin… can you get some-" DS started.

"I already got more chairs in the workshop. We have smelling salts to wake up Vergil as well." Jin replied, cutting DS off.

DS simply nodded, following Kazuma into the base. It was a long walk to the Workshop, made longer by fatigue. Slowly however, they made it back to the Workshop, Jin opening the door for them.

Walking to towards the chairs by the computer terminal, Kazuma let herself fall into one of the farthest chairs, Miguel next to her. DS sat Vergil on the chair next to Miguel as Jin brought over the smelling salts after placing Alasator on one of the tables.

Running the smelling salt under Vergil's nose, the man began to cough. Suddenly his eyes shot open. Eyes rolling around to observe his surroundings, Vergil pushed the smelling salt away from him. "That. Stuff. _Stinks_." He said simply.

Jin nodded, taking the smelling salt away from Vergil's nose. Going to stand on the raised platform that held the computer, Jin began to speak.

"We have driven away our enemies. We have faced the Maverick attack and come away triumphal, something that has not been done in the history of Xero Creative. However… as we have seen, the Administration has forces that we have never seen before. They-"

Miguel cut him off. "Something we have never seen before? Hell, I _never_ saw the damned thing. What the hell happened out there? What was that?!"

Walking away from Vergil, DS walked to the computer. Within a few keystrokes, he brought up the fight from outside, from the moment JC had knocked out Miguel. Everyone but Kazuma watched. Kazuma simply looked away.

"…You got to be fucking kidding me." Miguel said after the footage played.

Shaking his head, DS said, "I wish I was. They have something that we could have never guessed about. However, we have powers that they would never have guessed we could have ever acquired."

Still looking at the screen, Vergil asked, "But… why were you the only one who could stand up to him? We all got powers, yet yours was the only one that could defeat him."

Leaning on the wall next to the computer, DS let out a sigh, running a hand through his dark hair. "All of us save Jin have gone through the portal already. Vergil and Miguel were in there for only a second, Kazuma a little more, and I was in there for a few minutes. Now… I can actually remember everything that happened to me while in the portal."

Vergil raised a brow in question.

"When we walked through the Gateway, we did not just gain the powers of whichever world we were transported to. We also gained the knowledge of that world. The time we spent in the portal is proportional to how long we were in that world and how much knowledge we gained." DS said.

Jin nodded. "Why do you think Kazuma had more knowledge of the Force and her powers then you guys did? She spent more time in her world, and learned more."

Miguel shook his head. "How is a few more seconds going to make you more powerful? It doesn't make sense."

"When I left the Gateway, I had been in that world for three years." DS said simply.

Everyone in the room eyes grew.

"Three… years?" Vergil asked.

DS nodded. "That is why I know the extents of my powers and you guys don't. You simply have not used them long enough."

"Now, DS. Man the consol. We won't have much time to do this." Jin said, walking to the Gateway.

Miguel rose and looked at the two. "What's the hurry? We beat the Mavericks. The Admins can't attack us again too quickly."

Jin shook his head. "If they have one person like JC, they may have a hundred like him. We have to get out of here. And soon."

--------------------------------------------

Gasping for breath, JC pushed himself off of the ground. Before he could even rise to his feet from his crouched position, a voice shouted, "You do not have permission to rise."

JC lowered his head as the Admin walked down the long, dark hall that led to the empty chamber that JC had teleported himself and Reggie too. The footsteps of the Admin echoed as he neared JC.

"You… We should deactivate you for losing to such scum." The Admin said.

"DarkChaos… I apologize… He… that man took me by surprise." JC said as he bowed in front of Darkie, "I will not let it happen again. Please give me another chance!"

Peering down at them, DarkChaos said nothing for a few moments. Then, he said, "You will take Reggie with you when you go to get repairs."

JC rose his head to stare at DarkChaos. "You… You mean he is to be…?"

DarkChaos nodded. "Yes… If he survives, he will be gifted power like yours. His thirst for vengeance will make him a powerful tool. Now go! And never look at me without permission, less you wish to be added to the pile of scrap."

Throwing Reggie's arm over his shoulder, JC rose and hurried out of the chamber and headed to the Garage.

Turning on his heel, DarkChaos let his long, black cloak flourish out behind him. Walking through the halls, his silent furry raged. Others in the hall sensed this and hurried out of his path.

Rapidly the Admin walked to the Grand Chambers, where all the other Admins were awaiting him. The large doors opening for him, Darkie strode through the doors. As soon as they closed behind him, he let out a stream of curses.

"So… We have a resistance movement against us… Interesting…" A female Admin said from the platform.

"And they defeated one of our Robot Masters… Although he still had all his releases locked…" A deep voice said.

Walking up the platform, DarkChaos asked, "What do you suppose we do about this?"

The Admin near the center chuckled, his red eyes glowing in the darkness that enveloped him. "Isn't it obvious? We destroy them before they have the chance to gain more strength. True, they defeated our weakest Robot Master. But, we have 7 more. Dispatch all seven. Safety Release Alpha."

One of the other Admin stared at him. "Are… are you serious? All 7?"

Another masculine voice from the left chuckled. "Of course. If left alone, this Resistance may gain strength. And with our forbidden tech… They must be destroyed immediately."

DarkChaos nodded. "So it is agreed. We know where the Underground is. The Robot Masters can be there almost immediately after awakened from stasis. It is simply a pity we could not have recorded the battle between this Underground and the Mavericks…However, they will be destroyed shortly despite that."

The red-eyed Admin threw his head back and laughed, his evil laughter sending a chill down all of the other's spines.

--------------------------------------------------

The lights inside the Underground complex as the Internetwork Gateway began to hum back to life. DS and Miguel jumped up as Jin appeared on the other side. They both stared at him. Jin turned to look at them. "…What?" he asked, his bright yellow eyes shining out from the brim of his long, flat hat.

"…You have to be kidding me…" Miguel groaned, "_Please_ don't tell me your as stab happy as Black Mage is…"

Arranging his long, blue robe, Jin could just grin under the shadow of his hat. "Hm.. how long was I gone?"

"5 minutes." DS said simply.

Nodding, Jin walked towards the computer again. "DS… when you went to fight JC, you left something behind. Actually, two things…"

DS just raised a brow as he followed Jin towards the computer.

Opening a drawer, Jin drew two objects out of it. Turning to DS, he said, "Go to your combat mode."

A brief flash of light surrounded DS as the red helmet and armour covered his body. As the flash faded, DS asked, "Now what?"

Holding up a metallic tube, he put it in DS' right hand. "That was the first thing you left. Now… hold still…"

Jin turned around and began to hook wires up to the computer terminal and then connected the wires to DS's chest cavity. As soon as he was done with that, he inserted a disk into the computer.

A large, clear bar filled the computer screen, a percentage over it. As the number increased, the bar began to fill. As soon as the numbers hit 100, Jin unplugged the cables. "Try the tube…"

Stepping back, DS looked at the tube. It had been transformed into the hilt of a sword. Grinning under the helmet, DS let the CyberSword come to life. "I was wondering where this thing went…"

Deactivating the sword, DS turned, only to see Kazuma standing behind him. This caused DS to jump slightly in surprise. "Why… why was JC on their side?"

DS could only blink as his armour and helmet disappeared. "I… I don't know…"

Kazuma shook her head. "He died during the battle… I could have sworn it…"

Looking around for help, all DS saw was Jin and Miguel shrug their shoulders. "Erm… Maybe it was just the Administration trying to mess with your head, using JC's face like that. It couldn't have been the real JC…"

Kazuma shrugged. "I… I hope your right."

"Oh!" Miguel said, running up to the computer. Typing a few things on the keyboard, he brought up the map of the complex. "This came up right before we used the Gateway… A room I had never seen before was flashing on it… right… there!" He said, pointing to the large room beside DS'.

DS could not help but stare. Grabbing Jin and Kazuma by the wrist, he ran from the Workshop to the room next to his, Miguel and Vergil following behind them. DS slid to a stop in front of the door. Releasing the two's wrists, he pointed to the circular symbol on the door. "Now… has anyone besides myself seen this symbol before?"

Miguel rolled his eyes. "That's the symbol on the back of your shirt…"

Grinning, DS nodded. "It's the symbol used in the world I was transported to. That means… this room may have what we need to escape."

Ignoring the questions raised behind him, DS placed his hand on the symbol and began to channel a bit of his electronic fingerprint into the symbol. With a faint click, the door slid open. Taking a step, DS entered the room and simply stared.

All throughout the room were computer monitors and electronic equipment. Jin and Miguel stepped forward and began to examine the computers.

Miguel's eyes widened. "These computers… they're far more advanced then the ones in the Workshop."

Jin nodded. "There's even something on here about a… teleportation mechanism for the entire base? And… a flight plan? What is this?"

Instead of marveling at the equipment, Vergil had instead walked to another door on the far side of the lab. "DS… there is another door over here with your symbol on it…"

"Forget that!" Kazuma shouted, looking at another computer screen. "Seven people just appeared from no where 1000 meters outside the base!"

"Activate the teleportation system!" DS shouted to Jin.

"But… we don't know if it will work. We have no coordinates to go to!" Jin protested.

"Look, we just did something never before done. We beat an army of the Admins. I _don't _think they're going to send something that would be a walk in the park to beat!" Vergil shouted.

Imputing a few keystrokes, Miguel nodded. "They have similar energy readings as JC had. I don't think we'll be able to defeat all seven of them as we are now!"

Typing on the consol, Jin shouted back, "Alright, I get the picture! Teleportation activated. Coordinates are random, so everyone, hold onto your ass!"

Kazuma watched the screen as the seven beings neared the base rapidly. Just as they were 50 meters away from the entrance to the base, the complex teleported.

She sighed. "So… we made it…" she began to mutter, just as the complex began to shake rapidly, knocking everyone in the lab over. The base continued to shake, causing everyone's stomachs to sink. Would the base really survive the teleportation?

* * *

Well... its not as good as I wanted, but its a day early. Yay 


	6. Will of One Byte

Struggling to his feet, DS gripped one of the metal tables, which were bolted to the sides of the walls. As he did so, the complex gave another horrible shudder. His legs were knocked out from under him causing him to fall, and slide across the cold metal floor to the door in which he had entered the room. If he had been completely human, the impact with the door would have knocked him unconscious. However, because of his trip through the Gateway, circuits as well as nerves pulsed within him. It was these circuits that kept him conscious as he struggled to stand once more.

Looking down the room, he saw Kazuma standing, aided most likely by the Force. She was leaning over at a computer terminal, typing a few things into it. To get to her now would be insane, his circuits were already trying to repair the damage to his head, and he did not have experience in these conditions. So instead, he leaned on his door and watched his friends.

Jin was gripping onto one of the legs of the tables that had been made into a computer consol. Curses from him could be heard as he held onto the legs.

Vergil had stabbed his sword into the metal floor and was using it to lean on. He was too far from a consol to do anything. So instead, he used his sword to stand and gazed at one of the computer monitors above Kazuma.

Miguel was also holding onto one of the metal legs of one of the tables. However, instead of struggling to retain his grip, Miguel let go of the leg with his left hand and slashed vertically downward, creating a wall of ice leading from him to the nearest consol, which was directly opposite of Kazuma. Stabbing his katar into it, he let himself slide against it. Grabbing the top of the wall, he pulled himself up. Using the wall as a sort of handrail, he slowly walked to the computer and began to type on its consol.

Slowly the shaking complex slowed, the shakes turning into smaller and smaller disturbances. However, until they stopped completely, no one dared to move; Kazuma and Miguel continued to impute codes and commands into the computer.

As soon as the shaking stopped completely, put their hands on the side of the consol and began to take deep breathes, glad that the ordeal was over. Slowly Jin stood as DS and Vergil stepped closer. All three of them shifted their gaze from Kazuma to Miguel. "What happened?" they all asked at once.

Kazuma was the first to speak. "The complex was trying to complete a transformation. However, there were a few rooms within the complex, which weren't in the original design, so it could not, yet tried to anyways. That was what caused the shaking."

Jin just blinked. "Transformation?" he asked.

Miguel nodded. "We got a flying transformer on our hands boys and girls."

This time it was Vergil's turn to speak. "…We're flying?"

Miguel nodded. "That flight plan that Jin mentioned earlier was the complex's transformation. When we teleported the entire base, it teleported us into the air."

Crossing her legs, Kazuma sat down. Placing her head in her hands, she did not look at anyone as she said, "We had to jettison a few rooms. All of those that were not between here and the Workshop are gone."

That of course meant that all of the bedrooms, excluding DS', had been destroyed.

Shrugging, Miguel said, "I won't mind sleeping in the workshop. I slept there more then I did in my room anyways." Jin also agreed with this.

"I basically have a room set up in that empty hall across from here." Vergil said with a grin. That room had been a small, empty room that he had filled with a scrapped couch, a radio, a few lamps, and books and schematics of the weapons and position of those weapons on the outside of the base.

Kazuma, however, did not have a room.

Approaching the door Vergil mentioned earlier, DS shrugged. "Kazzy can have my room. I really don't need it anymore. I just want the books that are in there."

Laying his hand on the symbol on the door, he once again transmitted his electrometric fingerprint onto the door, which swung open. As it did, DS could do nothing but stare. The room held one, large computer, a small bed off to the left of the room, a single lamp, and a large, dark circle on the ground of the farthest wall. Written on it were the words, "FOR USE OF ROBOT MASTER 000, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS _**PROTOMAN**_ ONLY."

Captivated by this room, he did not hear Kazuma's thanks, nor did he hear Jin ask for him and Miguel. Miguel had to come over and tap on his shoulder before DS registered any of this.

Led by Miguel, he walked back to Jin. "Alright… since you and Miguel were the only ones who seemed not to be listening… I'm going to explain this once more. There is a cloaking device and a device that… apparently registers the complex invisible."

Miguel nodded and said, "But I found something much more interesting… come here." And without waiting to see if anyone would follow, he hurried to the left side of the room and opened a door directly opposite of the one DS had opened.

DS walked in front of the others as Miguel entered the room. Walking inside, DS' eyes were immediately drawn to a large, dark circle on the floor, exactly like the one in the room he had found. Above it was the words, "Transportation Device." A computer sat directly beside it, apparently used to guide where the device would bring you too. A shelf sat against the right wall, full of small metal bracelets. Above the shelf was a sign, telling one that these were used to bring the wearer back to the base at once.

Everyone's mouths dropped open at the site of the room. "With this… we would not have to land. We could appear anywhere and leave immediately of we needed to!" Vergil said, a bit of excitement entering his voice.

Kazuma shook her head. "We have to assume that the Administration has something like this. How else would those seven enemies get to us so fast? How else would… Reggie have disappeared?"

No one but DS noted that she had not said JC. Leaving the others to their discussion, he turned and walked around them to leave the room Miguel had shown them. Walking to one of the terminals, DS brought up the recording of outside the base a minute before they teleported.

The screen was dark for a few moments, the only image being that of the empty cavern. Then, seven bright beams of light suddenly appeared, the beams reaching from the top of the cavern to the ground. Immediately they faded. As soon as they did so, the image began to flicker, as if the cameras had a bad connection. Slowing the recording down so he could see something that was captured on film, he saw seven humanoid figures appear from out of the light had been. One of them pointed their arm at the camera, and the all of the cameras went out at once.

Wonder and anger began to pulse through DS' mind. Wonder at the power of the seven that had been sent after them, anger at the Administration, at one of the seven for destroying their cameras, and mostly, at the power that those seven could hold. A voice behind him said, "Pretty scary, isn't it?"

DS jumped. Turning around, he saw Kazuma standing behind him, her arms crossed. "Wh…What do you mean?" He asked slowly.

She motioned to the screen again. "Them. They appear out of nowhere, destroy the entire series of cameras around our base simultaneously, then move faster then… our attacker did."

DS simply nodded.

Turning around, Kazuma made a motion of her hand to follow. "They're talking about what we should do next. I figured you should be in on it." Without waiting for a reply, she began to walk back to the room Miguel had discovered.

Turning back to the computer, DS closed the window with the recording on it. As soon as it closed, he turned, and hurried back to the room.

Inside, he caught Miguel saying, "I think we should wait a little bit. I mean, we just escaped from the clutches of the Administration. We should train so that the next time, we won't have to run."

Jin nodded his approval. "I want to work on the Internetwork Gateway and try to see if I can get it so that we can re-enter it. That way, while some of us train out here, we can also go back to the worlds in which we acquired these powers and train there as well."

Vergil shook his head as well. "If anything, I want to know the extents of my power. I want to know just how far I can go."

DS shook his head as he heard all of this. "I can't believe this…" he said slowly, "We gain this power, the power that makes us able to do anything against the Administration, and all you want to do is to sit here and train. We need to recruit people to our cause! Bring more against the Administration!"

Jin looked at DS, shaking his head. "We can't be sure we'd be able to withstand an attack from the Admins while on the ground. We need to improve our powers first, then we can make a move."

"The Admins know we're here! They know we have power that we should not under their rule. Do you really think that they're going to sit idly by while we gain strength? They will be doing the same thing!" DS said, anger slowly creeping into his voice.

This time it was Miguel who answered. "And, while we go and recruit, we give the Admins hints at where we are. We can't risk it until we know we can defeat whatever they throw at us!"

"And how will we know if we can beat what they send against us? We won't! We can't! We don't know the depths of their powers! Even if we train, we're still outnumbered! We have no idea the powers they have, or if ours will be effective against them! We need more people! We need a range of powers! Strength alone will not defeat them, but strategy and a variety of powers. Right now, they hold all the pieces!" DS said, this time the anger evident in his voice.

Vergil laughed. "And you think that by waltzing down there, we will gain more pieces? You think that strategy is that important right now? That's what we're trying to do! We're trying to figure out the best strategy! We must gain strength before we risk bringing others into this operation!"

DS snarled at this. "We started this to save people! We started this to free people! And instead, we'll sit on our asses up here, and hope that the Administration won't figure out our next move? PEOPLE ARE DYING DOWN THERE!"

His shout echoed through the rooms in the complex. Miguel looked away from DS, Vergil, at the floor. Jin stared straight at DS, a challenging look plastered on his face. "You do what you want then. We'll do what we want. When you die, expect no pity from us."

"FINE!" DS yelled, punching a wall as he did so. The place where he punched buckled, the metal directly around his fist cracking. Turning on his heel, he stormed out of the room, back to the room in which he found. The door swung shut as he entered, the strange red and black emblem glowing brightly on the door.

Kazuma looked away from the door DS had walked through after a moment. Turning, she rounded on Jin, her finger stabbing him in the chest. "Our you happy now? No one to question your ideas? No one to argue with? We have too few people to operate as it is! Alienating another could cause the death of the group!"

Jin shook his head. "Let him follow his own plan. I'll follow mine."

Shaking her head, Kazuma turned from the group, and walked to the door DS had entered. She knocked on it after trying to open it. Placing her head next to the door, she knocked on it again. When she heard nothing, she stepped away from the door, and began to walk away from it. However, a bright blue flash appearing from around the edges of the door made her turn. On the main computer monitor, the message _**'Transportation of DS successful'**_ flashed.

"Are you happy now?" Kazuma asked Jin.

Turning to speak to Miguel and Vergil, Jin shrugged. "He'll be back."

--------------------------------------------------

Many miles below and hundreds of miles away, a bright beam of blue light appeared in-between of hills. Slowly, the light faded, showing the form of DS, his red and white helmet covering his face, his gray and red armor now covering his body. The brown, dead grass crunched beneath his feet as he began to climb the hill that was directly in front of him. If he remembered correctly, the town he was trying to get to should be right over this hill.

Reaching the summit, DS looked down to the large wall surrounding the city. Directly in front of him was an opening between the walls, where what looked like a large gate would rise or fall to open or shut off the city. There was no guard posted on the outside of the wall, but DS could see where one was standing on the inside, watching the inhabitants walk through the city. Apparently, the Administration was much more concerned with those trying to leave the city, then those trying to enter it.

Slowly, DS walked down the hill. He did not wish to go too fast and attract attention. As he neared the walls, He saw that they were made of various pieces of metal randomly welded together. Various messages were scrawled across the wall, some carved in, some painted on. All said various things such as _'Only death awaits'_ and '_We are the Dead'_. However, directly above the place where the gate would fall, the message '_ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HERE'_. Shaking his head, DS walked through the city gate.

The robot guard paid no mind to him as he walked past the threshold of the city. Apparently, he was right in his assumption. The guards were much more worried about those trying to leave then those coming in. Shaking his head, he looked at the city.

Large buildings made up most of the city, some of them reaching over twenty stories high. Some smaller buildings were scattered around randomly, but not many. No plants grew within the walls of the city; no living thing was evident besides humans and parasitic pests. This was a city of steel, gripped in the vice like hand of the Administration.

Even though this city was held so tightly by the Administration's power, there was a reason that DS had picked this city. This city also housed barracks for the Administration's Mavericks. It was here DS could demonstrate his power to the people and gain the most following. It was here that he would cause the greatest stir.

Walking through the metal city streets, DS became aware of those watching him pass. Such an odd sight would be sure to attract attention. As he walked through the blocks, people began to follow him at a distance. Grinning under his helmet, DS began to walk through the narrow streets faster, eager to reach the barracks and show these people what those who wished to be free could do. The growing crowd behind him also began to speed up with him.

The guards however must have noticed this strange behavior and the leader of the crowd's goal. For as DS hurried to the walled barracks in the raised center of the city, loudspeakers on every corner began to play one message that started low at first, but quickly increased in volume as the crowd kept heading towards the barracks. Noticing this, the barracks doors opened, and long lines of Mavericks began to march through the streets towards DS, all the while chanting the same message the speakers were broadcasting,

"WE KEEP YOU SAFE!

WE ARE YOUR HOPE!

WE ARE IN CONTROL!"

* * *

Well, here it is. Right on time. This one was a bit of fun. And the next chapter? Biggest fight scene I've ever wrote. So much fun...


	7. s0und50fpr0g3s5?

The two opposing sides stared at each other; one side, the large, unblinking army of machines, the other, the mass of huddled humans and their masked leader. For a moment, no one moved. No one breathed. The Mavericks in the front had their rifled hands lowered, their large, barreled bodies protecting short arms and legs. Small, wide cylinders made their heads, their eyes simply two red lights. Their chanting ceased abruptly as a platform rose from the midst of the Mavericks, gaining height with every second.

As suddenly as it appeared, it stopped, hovering high over the army of machines, the lone figure who stood upon it masked by the darkness of night. His hands behind his back, he called down to DS, "You are under arrest for disturbing the peace and attempting to cause a riot. If you surrender, justice will be swift and merciful."

Looking up at the man, DS smirked underneath his helmet. Did he really think he would give in that easily? If he did, he was a fool to think so. Looking back at the robot army, DS raised his left hand, the hand turning into his arm cannon, otherwise known as a buster. Before the man or Mavericks could do anything, DS fired a shot into their ranks, toppling four of the robots.

As soon as the shot was fired, the humans scattered. Fearing for their lives, they fled into the nearby buildings. As they entered, they rushed for a room with a window facing the street, so as to watch the battle unfold. Some watched with hope in their eyes, others with despair. The battle for this city had begun.

The platform glided to the back of the ranks as the Mavericks began to march forward. These Mavericks were different than the ones Kazuma, Vergil, and Miguel had fought in the tunnel. There were multiple types of Mavericks within the enemy ranks.

Without a moment's hesitation, DS ran at the mass of metal, his buster charging as he neared the mass of robots. Without slowing, he raised his arm and fired the charged shot at the Mavericks, utterly destroying the ones who stood in front of him, those behind fairing no better. The machines filled the hole in their ranks and marched forward, the front line's hands rising to point at DS, each one turning into a machine gun.

DS had been knocked off balance by the shot. The Mavericks took advantage of the slight hesitation and fired at his feet, causing him to fall backwards. One of the Maverick's fists turned into a hammer, its feet into treads. Hurrying forward, it raised its hammer, aiming at DS' head.

Looking up, DS raised his buster and fired a shot point blank into the robot's face. The shot blew the head off of the robot, sending the shrapnel at its brothers. Jumping up, DS used the body as a shield until he could completely regain his balance. Walking slowly sideways, he dragged the body along, his left arm once again an arm. When he got close to the side of the street, he dropped the body, transforming his arm into a buster once more.

Running diagonally, DS jumped at one of the many buildings that the humans were hiding in. Not pausing, he ran up the glass wall of the building, the people inside scattering as he did so. Kicking off of the wall, he flipped yet again, this time landing within the Maverick ranks.

Throwing his right arm out, his CyberSword appeared in his hand. In one motion, he plunged the weapon into the nearest Maverick's chest cavity. With a jump he brought his feet up to the dying Maverick and used it to hurtle himself at a line of others. He slashed at the army as he flew. As he landed, those he had slashed at turned to fire before collapsing, their bodies cut in two.

As those in the front ranks were being quickly decimated, the next type of Mavericks approached. These were much smaller, faster robots than their predecessors. Each wielded fully automatic weapons for arms.

Without letting them get him in their sights, DS leapt onto one of the larger robots in the front. Firing down at it, DS used the added energy to leap into the ranks of smaller robots. Landing directly behind one of them, he quickly stabbed it in the back with his sword, but not to destroy it. After cutting into the metal, he reached into the Maverick's back. Gripping the wires that were sticking out, he spun, activating the robot's machine guns, causing it to fire into its fellows. As more and more of its comrades fell, the Maverick's arms extended, giving it a larger range to destroy more of its kind.

As soon as its ammunition was expended, DS released the robot, causing it to fly into another and explode in a burst of flames. Nodding to the buildings, DS ran forward toward the barracks, eager to meet the leader of this army.

"Send me the best you've got!" He cried as he raised his left arm again, firing rapidly into the large, tank-like Mavericks that now approached him. "Send me your strongest machine!" These Mavericks did not fall as quickly as the others, but they were far too slow.

As they pointed their mounted weaponry at him, DS dashed into their ranks. Their weaponry followed him, trying to aim. Stopping in the center, he stayed still just long enough for them all to fire. Just as they did, he ran out of the way as the Mavericks' own bullets ripped through them. The glass in the surrounding buildings shattered from the blasts. Luckily, no man had sought refuge in any buildings that close to the barracks.

The shockwave of all the weaponry discharging and the tank-like Mavericks exploding caused DS to go flying back in the direction he had come. Landing on one of the fallen hunks of metal that used to be a robot, he felt a sharp edge rip into his back. Forcing it out of his mind, DS gazed ahead, past the now burning inferno that blocked his path, and at the barracks he was so eager to reach.

He could faintly make out the dark shapes of more Mavericks marching forward. These particular models appeared to be green. Far from being deterred by the flames, they fired through them, attempting to hit him. Their shots were much slower then any of the ones before, but more accurate. Seeing the shots hit the pavement right before him or fly right past his head, DS ran to the side and picked up a sheet of metal left over from one of the larger robots. It had been blown out of the inferno. Placing it in front of him, he leaned on the large sheet, the dings in it growing as more shots bounced off of it. Looking above, he saw the leader of the robot army standing on his platform, which was now closer to the front of the lines.

"Step forward!" DS shouted at the figure, his buster pointed at him, "Step into the light if you're ready, you're willing, and you're prepared to fight!" Seeing no movement, DS lowered his arm and looked back at the marching army.

"So be it! Send your armies- there's no man or machine that can stop me! You'll soon see!" Throwing down the makeshift shield, he rushed towards the flames that divided him from the oncoming Mavericks. His buster charging, he pointed it at the inferno. As he neared the flame, he fired his buster. Running as hard as he could, he followed behind the power shot. The shot ripped through the flames, causing a large, circular hole to appear within it. DS rushed through the hole, his buster raised at the army.

The street behind him was now littered with burning and charred hunks of metal and machinery. The streets before him were crowded with hundreds of Mavericks trying to get closer, to attack the one who was destroying their brothers. The barracks were much closer now. However, they were mostly emptied as all the Mavericks who had taken refuge there were now filling the streets of the burning city.

Looking at the oncoming army, DS grinned, the bottom of his helmet pulling back to expose his mouth. The power shot charging in his buster, one of the man-shaped Mavericks took aim at him and fired. The energy blast hit DS in the shoulder, puncturing the skin and hitting the metal beneath it, causing him to take a step back.

"Is this the best you've got? Is this your strongest machines? Now with one power shot, you'll meet your end!" And as the green Mavericks raised the shields in their left hands, DS let his power shot fly, the recoil of which threw him several yards- right back through the raging wall of fire.

The shields, which had deflected so many different types of projectiles before, buckled under the power shot. Those who were not in the front lines stared at the blast that was plowing through a number of their brothers, astonished, their one eye widening beneath their helmets. As the shot filled the entire street, plowing the oncoming robots back, DS grinned even as he felt his body fatigue. He still had a job to finish. Crossing his arms in front of him, he leapt back through the flames.

Gazing at his handiwork, DS nodded in approval. That shot had cleared out most of the shielded Mavericks, leaving hunks of broken metal on the street. Some had tried to get out of the way of the blast, and had been rocketed into the surrounding buildings, the glass in which had shattered and now littered the street. Oil leaked from a few of the fallen robots, some of which trailed down the upraised street, back towards the inferno. Catching immediately, the oil ignited, and the entire street was alight.

Still, more Mavericks marched towards DS, intent on stopping this man, this incredible threat to their power. These machines did not know fear, but they knew the will to survive. They had been programmed with that very basic instinct, so the Administration would not lose more Mavericks than it had to. Never before had these Mavericks felt the pull of that program. Yet some began to feel it, the need to run, the need to leave and get away from this mad figure that challenged their power. Yet they marched forward- because of the need to destroy the one who sought to destroy them, or because they were ordered to, they did not know.

Hovering above the scene, the man atop his platform scowled. This man was much stronger then those in the Administration had led him to believe. This man had destroyed almost half of the Mavericks here, and he had enough Mavericks to near the thousands. He had been told to not aid the robots unless there was dire need. If this was not dire, he knew not what the word meant.

Holding up a hand, the Mavericks stopped. They simply stood in the street, gazing up at the man upon the platform. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and the platform began to lower itself to the ground.

DS smiled to himself. He would finally be getting somewhere. By defeating this man, he would gain the trust and belief of all those who gazed upon him. Even now, the humans had begun to slip out of their hiding places and come closer to the battlefield.

Pointing his buster at the man, DS took a few steps forward. The platform touched the ground, letting the man step off of it and onto the ground. Now that he was at eye level, DS could see that he was dressed in loose, black pants and a tighter, black shirt that had no sleeves. Small, silver hourglasses decorated it. A strap ran across his torso, holding a large sword on his back. Because of the flames, DS could not see his face.

"You… You honestly think you can defeat me?" The man said, gesturing to DS' upraised buster. He chuckled slightly.

DS let the shot in his buster begin to charge. However, something was troubling him. He had heard this voice before. He just did not know where, or how.

"You are a fool." The man said, taking a step towards him. He made no motion to grasp the large broadsword on his back, but simply looked into DS' darkened mask. Even though DS knew he could not see his face through the mask, the man's stare still made him nervous.

Raising his arms, the man motioned to the people behind him. "Do you fight for them? These pathetic wastes of flesh and bone? Or do you fight for yourself?"

Letting his CyberSword deactivate and slide back into his hand, DS gripped the top part of his buster. "I fight for them! I fight for their freedom! As I live, there's no evil that will stand!"

The man touched his forehead, as if trying not to laugh. "You fight for good? To me, you are the evil one here. You are the one who has brought destruction. You are the one who has caused chaos in a realm of peace."

"Only because you forced peace through absolute rule! You call this justice? You call this right? When it is bad for those who live under your rule? When they have no voice?" DS shouted, his anger growing, causing his power shot to gain even more strength.

The man shook his head. "You think they have no voice?" Gesturing to the people behind DS, he asked, "How many of you want him to destroy this place?"

None spoke up. All simply stared at DS and the man, their faces completely blank in the flames' light.

DS looked from them to the man as the man said, "Who wants this rebel, this man who has come to destroy our security and peace to bring about a new rule, destroyed?"

At this, the people raised their hands as one. DS turned and stared at them, his mouth opened wide. He could not believe what he was seeing. A few of them even began to raise a chant. With each passing moment, it gained strength as more and more began to repeat it. "Destroy him!" they shouted, "Kill him!"

"Do you see now? They have what they want. We are their peace-keepers." The man said, his arms once again crossed beneath his breast. "You say you come to fight for them. You say you come to fight for justice. Can you see now? You cannot do both."

DS was stunned. All he had fought for. All those who he had thought would follow him. All of his plans. All he had believed…

"Do you understand now? They don't want to change this, they don't want a hero. Why put your life on the line to accomplish your peace when one is already established, one that the people love?" the man said simply.

"But…" DS began to say in protest, thinking of his friends in the Underground. But they did not wish to fight either. They would just sit back and let the Administration rule. As long as they were never threatened, they never really made a move.

Gazing at his feet, DS closed his eyes. This couldn't be happening. The people of Xero Creative had wanted freedom from the Administration. They had wanted to control their own destiny… and now? Now they were against him, siding with those he had wished to stop.

Something hit him in the back suddenly. Then more objects began to hit him, some bouncing off of his helmet. The people had begun to pick up scraps of metal and were throwing them at DS. He winced, his eyes still downcast, making no motion to move out of the way or defend himself. He just let the metal hit him, cutting through his suit and into his flesh.

"This is how it has to be." the man said, "I give you an option. Join us. Join the Administration and keep this peace and become the hero of man. Or continue to fight, and I will honor the wishes of the people." The man stepped forward, the light of the flames now making his face visible.

DS gasped as he looked up to see the familiar face of Mattiks, his best friend from before Xero Creative became a place in which one could live. Mattiks, like JC, was supposed to be dead.

Looking back at the chanting people, and then to Mattiks, DS let his buster drop to his side, the arm cannon once more becoming his hand. Lowering his head, he said, "I… I will join you."

Mattiks grinned as the people became quiet at once. "What is your name? Surely not Protoman…" He asked DS.

Without looking up, DS shook his head. "Call me…" he swallowed. Raising his head, he looked Mattiks square in the eye. "Call me Blues."

------------------------------------------

Two beams of bluish light appeared at the same spot DS' had earlier. This light faded much quicker as Miguel and Kazuma stepped out of them. Miguel pulled out a small screen, much like the one Reggie had been using, and touched it.

"The city is that way…" He said, motioning to the hill in front of them, "But… is this really so smart to do? We don't know if the Administration has spread word of our appearance. We may walk right into open hostilities…"

Kazuma nodded as she climbed the hill, Miguel following right behind her. "Yes… That's why we need to get in there. DS is stupid enough to walk right into it. If he has… he'll need help."

Miguel nodded. Soon enough, they were both gazing at the mechanical city. Even from here, they could see the flames in the center of the city. Kazuma coughed; the air was filling with thick, black smoke, even making the approaching dawn much darker then usual.

Seeing the flames, Miguel took the lead, running down towards the city, Kazuma close behind. Without stopping, they ran through the now guard-less gate, their eyes scanning for any signs of DS or people. Almost immediately their eyes fell on people with faces blackened from direct contact with the smoke. Even though the fire was in the city, where it was must be on much higher ground, causing this lower section to escape the brunt of the smoke.

Hurrying to them, Miguel tapped one of them on the shoulder. The man turned, his slightly raggedy clothes blackened by soot. "Excuse me… Can you tell me what happened here?" Miguel asked.

The man stared at them surprised. Then he looked at their relatively clean clothes. "Ya aren't from that section, so I suppose ya don't know…" the man said, scratching his chin, "There was a fight between this one fella and the whole barracks."

Miguel and Kazuma exchanged glances. "What happened during the fight?" Kazuma asked.

"The man damn near destroyed half the army! But, TimeMan got him in the end. He always does. Those machines can't touch him when it comes to power…" The man said, shaking his head.

"…What do you mean, 'got him'?" Kazuma asked.

The man blinked at her. "What do ya think I mean, woman? TimeMan destroyed that rebel! He always does. He be the Admin main man around these places. Rumor has it, he decimated the entire barracks without breakin a sweat when they went beserk."

"Thank you…" Miguel said, his face blank as he turned away from the man. The man simply nodded, and walked back to his group of friends, who were talking loudly about the man in red.

"I can't believe it…" Miguel muttered as he pulled out a small, metal bracelet as they made their way back to the hill they had teleported to.

Kazuma shook her head angrily. "No… I won't believe it."

Miguel nodded. "You're right… He can't be dead…"

* * *

So... new version. Tried to make battles better, turning point better, ect. I have no idea how I did, but my friends seemed to like it, so...

Its done! And its my birthday! Next chapter uploaded 6 days from now. Why? Cause today will be my day off. No writing.

Wiigii!


	8. New Data Loaded

"….What?"

That was the only response Miguel and Kazuma received upon returning to the base. Both Vergil and Jin had stopped what they were doing and had looked at the teleporter as they came back from the city. When they saw that DS was not among them, they immediately asked why.

Miguel told them the little they had learned in the city. Not many were willing to speak about the fight, out of fear of drawing the eyes of the Administration on them. He had learned of how far DS had gotten, before TimeMan came down. Most believed he slowed down time so that DS could not move, and destroyed him that way. For, after he talked to DS, DS was gone, and TimeMan was already back in the sky.

Touching his forehead, Vergil fell backwards, falling heavily into a chair. "You… You gotta be kidding me…"

Miguel shook his head as he threw the metal bracelet onto one of the many tables. "Dude, you have no idea how I wish I was."

Jin just turned around, sat in one of the chairs, and started typing into one of the computer monitors consoles.

Arching a brow, Kazuma asked, "Jin… what are you doing?'

Not turning to look at her, he said, "I'm going back to work. The Administration isn't just going to sit around, and neither shall we."

Miguel and Vergil just stared at Jin as Kazuma stammered, "One of our friends just died!"

"And a bunch have died before. And possibly more are dying now, thanks to what DS did. Sure, he wanted to show the Admins he could fight. And look what his stupidity got him! His own death, and a bunch of pissed off Admins!" Jin shouted back at them, still not turning to look at any of them.

Without thinking, Kazuma walked to Jin and spun his chair around to face her. "Look, a man just died out there. Can we at least give him a few seconds of respect before calling him an idiot? We all want to, but come on!"

Looking up at her, Jin's yellow eyes narrowed. Even this close, his face was still completely hidden by the shadow of his hat's brim. "You want to see [Iwhy[/I he's such a moron? Take a look." Pushing Kazuma's arm off of his chair's back, he spun back to the console and brought up a video.

"This… is what is going on the city you and Miguel just left." Jin said, pointing a finger at the computer monitor. On the screen, a blazing inferno could be seen. A mass of marching robots could be seen, many people running from them. However, none got away as they were all mowed down by machine gun fire. One man darted out of a building, only to be slashed in half. What attacked the man could not be seen however, as the figure was shrouded by smoke.

It was here that Jin paused the video. "This is a live feed from there. As you can see…" The video zoomed in to show the humanoid silhouette that was hidden in the flames. Another screen flashed, showing the flash of a sword as a man was cut in half seconds before. "From what you've learned of TimeMan, and with this video… We know that the Administration has just unleashed something we have not seen before."

"And why not? They both said TimeMan had a sword." Vergil said, pointing a finger at Miguel.

"No… he has a point…" Miguel said, looking at the monitor. "TimeMan's sword was solid silver… the blade to this thing… is blue…"

Jin nodded. "Exactly. There is something we know nothing about on the loose now. At least before we knew they had a few stronger people. But…" another screen popped up on the monitor, "this thing puts off energy signatures that match none of the eight stronger beings the Admins sent after us."

Kazuma shook her head. "Fine… what do we do then, damn it?"

Turning to look at them, he shrugged. "Kazuma, you come with me. Mig and Verg will go to the ring and train, a half hour each. That should give them plenty of time to get to know their powers and what to expect."

"And what about me? Where the hell are we going?" Kazuma asked.

Jin smirked. "We're going back down to the city. We've got the most experience of all here. Plus I have magic that can stop TimeMan from using anything that will mess with the natural flow of time… We need to save a few of these people."

All of them stared at Jin. Wasn't what he was planning to do just like what DS had planned and failed? However, no one voiced this. They needed a plan. And… this was a plan.

Angrily, Kazuma turned and headed to the teleporter. "Well… you coming? Or are you just going to stand there with your head up your ass?"

Rolling his eyes, Jin stood and grabbed the other metal bracelet that Miguel had thrown and snapped it on under his blue robe. Heading towards the teleporter, he said, "One of you, constantly man the monitor. If one of us is in serious trouble, force us back."

Without waiting for a confirmation, he walked into the small room, and stepping on the dark circle beside Kazuma, teleported to the grassy knoll DS had went to, warm blue light surrounding them.

Blinking, Jin rubbed his eyes. It was supposed to be morning, but the sky was still dark. Looking up, he saw that it was the mass of smoke coming from the direction of the city that was hiding the sun. Looking at Kazuma, he gestured her to go first. Rolling her eyes, she sprinted forward, her outer cloak left back at the base to keep her light.

Following behind her, Jin reached into the folds of his cloak and pulled out a short, sharp dagger. He had no idea if he'd have to actually use it or not… But Miguel had been right when he had guessed he had also gained BM's stab happy attitude as well.

Reaching the top of the knoll, he heard Kazuma gasp. He himself would have as well if she weren't there. The city was completely consumed in flames. Only one of the metal walls was not. Squinting, Jin tried to read what was scrawled there. "Destroyed for rebellion against the Administration." That was what he could make out from this far.

Coughing, Kazuma shook. "They… did this? Just because of what happened?" she asked in disbelief.

Jin nodded. This popped the bubble that was in Kazuma's mind. This fight would not be like one of those in the movies. People could die here. People would die. And, the side of good might not actually win. Evil was not always put to rest. Sometimes, it squashed all hope, leaving nothing to challenge.

"Wait… what's that?" She asked, pointing to an area near the opening of the city.

Jin followed to where she was pointing, and saw a slight movement. Then, he saw many people make a dash from the city's walls towards the knoll that Kazuma and Jin were currently standing on.

Without looking at each other, both Jin and Kazuma sprinted down the hill, Kazuma's lightsaber already out, Jin's hands glowing. They had no idea what was behind that smoke, or what was chasing those people. All they knew was that they had to save at least a few of them.

Before they got down to the bottom of the knoll, a few of the fleeing citizens had already fallen, large slash marks running across their backs.

"It's the one that hides in smoke! Kaz, push it!" Jin shouted, skidding to a halt.

Thrusting one hand forward, Kazuma swiped it across her body, causing the smoke to be pushed along with it. However, nothing but the burning city could be seen.

And still, people fleeing the city fell.

"Jin, what…?" Kazuma shouted.

"Forget it! Just save those you can!" Jin shouted back, fireballs now issuing from his hands.

Without another word, Kazuma began to rush forward, and grab a hold of two citizens. She reached out to grab another, but he was cut down from behind at the last second. As soon as he fell, a fireball shot right where he had been.

"Kaz! Outta here, now!" Jin yelled at her.

Kazuma spun around, her eyes wide. "But, we can stil-"

"NOW!" Jin shouted, another fireball shooting off to the left of her.

Throwing him a look, Kazuma gripped both of the citizens with her left hand, and slammed the bracelet into her thigh, causing her to be teleported, with the citizens, back to the base.

Sweating, Jin continued to launch fireballs into the smoke. "Come out, damn it! I want to see what you are!"

A mad cackle issued from within the smoke. "You want to see me? The face of terror? Hah… you'd go mad at the slightest look…"

Yellow eyes narrowing, Jin cursed. "Come out here, or be damned! Face me like a man!"

The laughing increased. "Face you like a man? That would be a like a small cat fighting a lion…"

Bringing both of his hands together, Jin began to charge up one of his larger attacks. "Yes, for you! Show yourself!"

As the last citizen fell, the laughing stopped. "Hm… you do have some power… But… you are not the strongest of you. No… I will not face any, save the strongest among your group… I will allow you to live, for now… Go, get stronger…"

"STOP TAUNTING ME DAMN YOU!" Jin shouted, rage fueling him. Pushing both hands out, he shouted, "HADOKEN!" A large, blue/white beam of pure energy issued from his hands, and slammed into the burning city. A large flash of white light filled the land as the Hadoken destroyed the city. However, there was no sign of the figure that had hidden in the smoke.

"No no… that won't do…" The voice said, "You can't let the Admins know you have that power, now can we? I want you alive…"

Cursing, Jin hit the button on his bracelet, teleporting back to the base. That last attack had used all of his energy, and the… anomaly had dodged it easily. Falling to his knees as he appeared within the base, he shook his head. "Moron…" he muttered.

-----------------------------------------------

Standing in center of a dark room, Dark Chaos looked at the monitor. "Mattiks…" He said, his arms crossed in front of his chest, "You have done well beyond our wildest dreams…"

Smiling, Mattiks bowed. "You said you needed an advantage…. So I decided to deliver."

Dark Chaos nodded. "And rightfully so… I believe you shall finally be complete after this… We already have the FlashMan upgrade prepared. Go to the garage to have it installed."

Bowing, Mattiks turned on his heel and left.

Looking back at the monitor, Dark Chaos smiled. This was exactly what they needed. With this, the Underground would not last long. With this, all the secrets they wished to learn would be at their fingertips.

"Sir…" the hooded man who was sitting in front of another monitor said, "The information is locked."

Turning around to face the only other computer console in the barren, black room, Dark Chaos said, "Of course so, you fool! Do you honestly think that they would let their information out that easily?!"

The man shook his head. "No… this type of encoding… I have others working on this, and they have all agreed… This encoding is impossible to crack. It would take us years. It's more complex then anything we've ever imagined."

Typing into his console, Dark Chaos brought up the encoded information and could not help but stare. He could see where each man had started working since early that morning. And they had not cracked a single thing. "You… you men are our best hackers…" he stammered, "and…"

Swallowing, he shook his head. "Just make sure the reprogramming is complete…"

"Yes sir!" the man on the opposite side of the room said, hammering the keys at his console.

Dark Chaos stood and looked at the one-way mirror. "With you on our side at least… the Underground will soon fall."

Laughing, he turned and walked out of the room. The man at the console turned to look through the glass. There, in another room, was a prisoner strapped to a wall with large, heavy cylindrical locks holding both his arms and legs to the wall. The man himself was in a crouched position, as if sitting on the wall.

"So… that's the infamous Blues… doesn't look much now…" The man said, as he entered the new codes.

* * *

Yeah, its late. Whatever... I blame homework and laziness. Mostly homework.

Yeah... bored... not much to say here. Two new people though.

And, if you don't remember who Blues is, he's a completly new character! Now, go kill yourselves.


	9. According to Plans

Hands reached out to help pick him up. Smacking them away, Jin looked up and glared. "Leave me alone. I can get up myself." He snarled, pushing against the metal floor with his hands. Kazuma and Vergil both backed off as Jin staggered.

Looking to Kazuma, he said, "What about the two you brought back?"

"One was heavily wounded. He's in the med lab right now. The other…" Kazuma gestured behind her. In one of the chairs sat a man dressed in rags, his long, blondish hair hiding parts of his face. He had his feet up on the chair, his knees resting against his chest. "…is in shock."

Shaking his head, Jin placed a hand on a wall to steady himself. "Well… I guess that's to be expected." Slowly, he walked towards the door leading to the main computer terminal. Vergil reached out to help him, but Jin shook his head. Making his way slowly across the room, he let himself fall into the first chair that he reached. Reaching under his cloak, Jin pulled out a small cord, and plugged it into the console.

"…What are you doing?" Kazuma asked slowly, coming out of the teleportation room.

Ignoring her, Jin began to press buttons on the console. Slowly, a video began to play on the screen. It was a video of what had happened down below, as if through Jin's eyes. He let it play until it came to a shot where another man was cut down. Hitting another button, Jin looked up at the screen.

"Kaz… Where's Miguel?" He asked slowly.

Kazuma, who had gone over to the still man she had rescued, turned and said, "He's in the ring. He's got…."

"Five more minutes." Vergil said, looking at the watch on his wrist.

Typing into the console, Jin let the image minimize. "When he comes out… I have something important to show you all… Until then, look after those we freed."

Kazuma nodded, turning back to the balled up man on the chair. Pulling out a rag from her robes, she whipped his face with it. "He… looks like Vel…" she said slowly.

The man blinked at the sound of his name. Looking forward, he said almost blankly, "Ka…zuma?" His eyes widened as he recognized her. "Kazzy!" he said, almost happily. Kazuma jumped in surprise just as he leaned forward, causing him to crash to the floor.

Touching his forehead, Vergil couldn't help but chuckle slightly as Kazuma hurried to pick him up and apologize. "This is pathetic… don't you think so Jin?" He received no answer. "…Jin?" Then, he heard Jin snore.

Rolling his eyes, Vergil began to walk towards the exit. "I'm beginning to think I'm the only one with any sense around here…."

------------------------------------------------

The large clock face turned to all zeros. "Time Complete. Ejecting Subject At the Present Moment." The computerized voice said. The Internetwork Gateway glowed a bright green as a human form fell gently to the ground on the opposite side of the ring.

Pushing himself up slowly, Miguel grinned. His hair was much longer now, easily reaching his shoulders. Two blue markings ran diagonally from the lower left side of his face and ended a few inches from his nose. New clothes fit his more muscular form. However, they still looked the same as his older one.

Standing, Miguel cracked his back. "Ah… damn. A few years of training would always do someone good…" He said to himself as he cracked his neck.

The door to the lab sliding open, Vergil entered and grinned. "Glad to see you back. I don't even want to know how long a half an hour was in that world…"

Putting his hands behind his head, Miguel sat on one of the worktables. "Yeah… it was a damned long time. But…" He grinned, "I'm one helluva lot more powerful. You up?"

Vergil shook his head. "Jin wants to show us something. Said it had to be done the second you were out of the ring."

Rolling his eyes, Miguel said, "For the guy who wanted us to train… telling us to stop… this better be damned important."

"Just come on…" Vergil said as he turned to walk out the door. He heard Miguel jump off the table and grumble about something. Vergil couldn't help but agree what Miguel was saying. They wanted to defeat the Administration. In order to do that, they had to use all the time they had available to train and gain greater numbers. Jin was the one all gung ho about training. It was so important that the disagreement between Jin and DS had finally reached a breaking point.

They had always argued, both taking to the leadership role almost immediately after they had found themselves underground. And almost immediately, they found that they believed in almost the complete opposite ways of thinking. From then on, the two had begun to clash whenever a major decision had to be made. They had been hoping that with the Internetwork Gateway completed, the tension between the two would finally settle down.

However, right before that, it grew to a point that it never had before. It had actually broken into a physical fight at that point. It had taken all three of them to break those two up that day. And, the tension between them never really settled after that. The last fight was finally the breaking point, and all saw what had come from that.

Arriving at the computer terminal's door, Vergil stopped to let it slide open. Walking in, Miguel close behind him, he threw a piece of wiring he had picked up in the halls at Jin. "Hey, wake up! We're here."

Jin shook his head as the piece of wiring hit him. "I wasn't asleep…" he muttered, rubbing one of his eyes with his hand.

Miguel looked around the computer terminal and did a double take upon seeing Vel sitting in a chair, Kazuma sitting on the floor next to him. "…You should be glad DS isn't around Vel." He said, grinning madly. Miguel then whispered to Vergil, "…How long have I been out? When'd pretty boy get here?"

"A half hour. And he just got here five minutes ago." Vergil said, watching the computer monitor as Jin began to flash through multiple windows.

Finally arriving at the pause video clip, Jin said, "Alright, this is what I wanted to show you."

Peering at it, Miguel scratched his head. "A screen full of smoke, and a guy getting cut in half. Big whoop. Can we get back to training now?"

Rolling his eyes, Jin pointed to the screen again. "Look closer…" He said, magnifying the image. A faint silhouette could be seen in the smoke, one that could not be seen before.

"Jin…" Kazuma started, standing up to get a closer look at the screen, "Your not going to suggest that…"

Jin simply nodded. "Look at the profile. Look at the sword. It all fits."

Kazuma shook her head. "No… That's going to far even for you!"

Turning in his chair, Jin looked straight at her. "Face it girly. DS has to be working for the Administration. No one else with that profile and weapon could do that sort of damage."

------------------------------------------

"SYSTEM RECOVERY AT 74" A screen in front of Blues eyes said. He could not see it of course, nor could those outside his holding cell. They were projected on the inside of his helmet, and could only be view through his eyes.

He groaned weakly. His biological body was tired and sore. His mechanical body was in a stasis lock. The only thing running was the recovery program. The rest of him may as well be scrap.

Outside, the hooded man looked at his terminal as it registered Blues' groan. Grinning, Marik pushed his hood back. "The Admins will be pleased…" He said as he brought up another screen and began to type something into it.

Marik had been stationed in the Garage when JC had come in for repairs. He had studied the damages that this Blues had inflicted on him. He had been called to the City when TimeMan had captured him, and saw first had the carnage he could bring with him. Marik had the most of what little knowledge the Administration had on what Blues could do. That was why he was allowed to work on him. Because, he knew that if he slipped so much as the smallest amount, he would be the first to face Blues' fury.

Hitting enter, Marik simply sat and waited. He had sent a message to Dark Chaos, telling him that Blues was about to awaken. He would be awarded greatly for that. He wanted the Admin there the second the cyborg woke up.

Within a few moments, the doors to the viewing room opened. On the other side stood Dark Chaos, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "You best be right about this…" He said, before turning on his heel. Marik stood and scurried after him.

Placing his hand against a pad beside the door to Blues' cell, Dark Chaos looked back at Marik. "If you are right… You shall be awarded greatly."

Marik grinned. His rank would rise greatly in one single step. He would be the head of the Garage! No! He'd get out of that oily place! He may rise to a step below the Admins themselves!

The door slid open as soon as it registered Dark Chaos' heat signature. Stepping in the pitch-black room, his clothing seemed to hide him, making him look as if he was simply a floating head. Walking over to the corner, Dark Chaos inserted a keycard into a small computer terminal. The monitor flashed to life. One the screen were many images, all flashing across the screen. "And… what about the information we spoke of earlier?"

Marik licked his lips. "Sir… I told you before… That information was locked… far too encrypted for anyone to hack into… You will have to do without the me-"

"Silence!" Dark Chaos roared, causing Marik to flinch slightly, "You only need tell me you could not get them!"

Marik nodded. "I am sorry my Lord… it will not happen again…"

Dark Chaos smiled as he began to type into the computer terminal once more. Reaching down, he pulled the cardkey out of the terminal, along with some other object that Marik could not see.

Turning on his heel, Dark Chaos pointed at Marik and said, "You are to stay in here with him until he awakens. It is…" He looked at a small, silver wristwatch, "1000 hours." And without saying another word, he turned on his heel and left the room.

"But, sir! What do I do when he awakens!?" Marik shouted after him.

Dark Chaos simply grinned as the door shut behind him.

Marik looked nervously at Blues. "Well… at least the restraints are on…"

"SYESTEM RECOVERY 100. ACTIVATING PROGRAM" The screen in Blues' helmet said. Blues eyes shot open underneath his helmet, his body visibly tightening. Marik jumped at this. Blues' arms struggled visibly against the restraints keeping him held to the wall. Edging to the opposite side of the wall, Marik pressed his body against the one way mirror.

"At least the restraints will hold… at least the restraints will hold!" He chanted to himself as if it were a counter curse.

Suddenly, the restraints unlocked, throwing Blues to the floor. The cyborg rose, cracking his neck. As soon as he did so, his blue CyberSword appeared in his right hand. "Time to die…" he said simply, and rushed at the frozen form of Marik.

--------------------------------------------------

Dark Chaos grinned as he watched Blues in action from the other side of the glass. As soon as Marik stopped screaming and was still, Dark Chaos pressed a button that was on the side of the glass. "Well done… There are now no other surviving hackers who know of your existence here. Wait there for further instructions, and movement to your next assignment."

From the other side of the glass, Blues stared directly into Dark Chaos' eyes, and said nothing. He only deactivated his saber.

Turning, Dark Chaos shook his head. He was a little rebellious… but that could all be worked out. Besides, he had done wonderfully. The room looked more red now then it did black.

Opening the door, Dark Chaos marched down the hallway until he saw JC leaning against a doorframe. This part of the Administration Complex was completely black, and usually completely empty, so it was easy to see him.

"JC…" Dark Chaos said. JC's eyes widened as he turned, and half bowed. "I want you to deliver this to the Garage. Make sure the right people get it. Tell them to send him out with that equipped that," Dark Chaos handed him a blue data disk, "Make sure that it is installed before he leaves!"

Nodding, JC teleported, the bright, blue light enveloping his body.

Dark Chaos smiled. He couldn't help it. Because… so far, everything was going along… Just As Planned.

* * *

What can I say, I was pissed off enough to write another. ;

But... yeah! Connect points people. Please try to. Yes, all the Admin parts in the last two chapters were in the past if you want to go by the Underground's time. Or, the Underground's were in the future if you want to go by the Admin time. Confusing? YES IT IS.

So? Makes things more interesting.


	10. Dissent Among the Underground

A beam of light alerted the Garage of Blues return. Looking at the clock, the mechanics nodded to each other. His first mission must have been successful. Otherwise, he would not be back at the scheduled time.

One mechanic ran up to the cyborg, whipping sweaty hands on his oil stained overalls. He stopped short of the large, dark circle on the floor and looked up at Blues. "Sir, I am here to check if you need any…" He stopped as Blues walked past him. "Sir!" He yelled out, waving his hands, "we have to run a diagnostic!"

Blues said nothing as he walked towards the large, double doors that separated the garage from the rest of the complex. The mechanic looked at his fellow workers as if asking what to do. They all shrugged. Who was going to stand in front of a demented cyborg and tell him what to do? He still even had his sword out for God's sake!

Sighing, the mechanic shook his head. The higher ups would have his ass for this. They didn't care if their robots refused. The mechanics had a quota to meet, just like all those in the Administration had.

"Oi! Alex!" One of the others yelled, "Come here!" He was sitting behind more large computers. These were large and extremely noisy. They had to be the oldest hunks of junk in the Administration. But, they guessed that was how it was. Barely anyone could hook up to the net. These computers would have a better chance standing up to one of the Robot Masters then hooking up to that.

"What is it?" Alex asked, sliding next to the man on the long bench behind the computer.

"I got a quick scan as he 'ported in." The man said casually.

Alex's eyes almost popped out of his head. "Really? Get anything we can use?"

The man shrugged, looking away from the screen to the tools and spare parts that were scattered around the Garage. "It should be. It was just a basic scan, but there was nuttin' wrong with 'im."

Alex nodded. That should be enough for the quota. As long as there wasn't anything wrong with Blues, Alex would be fine. That was the way things worked in the Administration. You had a job to do. And if you failed, the rest of the Administration suffered. Except[Iyou[/I would suffer the most. That was guaranteed.

From the other side of the garage, JC Denton shook his head before going out of the large doors Blues had a few moments ago. JC had a few things to say to Blues. Most of which had to do with his sister.

The mechanics watched JC nervously as he walked past their computer. JC was one of the most notorious Masters in the Admin army. Word had spread quickly, despite orders for it not to, about him trying to kill his sister. No one knew why he was part of the Administration, or why he served it so full hearted. Then again, no one dared to ask.

----------------------------------------

All those who saw Blues within the halls seemed to wish they were anywhere but there. They all seemed to turn their heads and hurry past him. Some even pressed themselves against the wall, as if hoping that he would not see them.

Blues didn't seem to notice. He didn't even take a second glance at those who hurried from him. That was why his sword was still activated. The less people who would bother him, the better in his opinion.

The hallways within the main sections of the Administration's HQ were color-coded. Each section had its own color, unique to only that section. There were ten main sections, with many different subsections branching off of them. These subsections were a hybrid of colors.

Following the red hallway, Blues made his way down to the subsection where his own room was. It lay deep within the red section, where almost no one went. Knowing this, Blues deactivated his saber; confident he would not be disturbed now. Turning another corner, Blues entered a hallway, which was mostly black with thin lines of red running down its lengths. His section.

His room was halfway down the hallway. Placing his hand on a panel next to the door, it read his energy signal. Blues walked it as soon as it did so, the door sliding shut behind him. He usually would have waited outside for a few moments, but he had heard faint footsteps behind him. Only this room was being used in this subsection. So whoever it was, wanted him. And Blues did not want to meet with anyone.

His room was much like the outside. All the walls were black, with thin red lines running through their middle and edges. There were few pieces of furniture there. Only a small bed, a chair, and a lap decorated the room.

One of the walls turned completely black. Blues bowed his helmeted head as it did so. Two glowing, red eyes appeared on the screen, along with the blackened silhouette of a face. The figure laughed as Blues began to report, glee evident in those red eyes.

----------------------------------------------

Throbbing. That was the only word he could attribute to his head. It was hurting so bad he could hear it pounding. Hurting so bad that he wished he didn't have a head so he couldn't feel it. A ridiculous thought, but still….

His eyes shot open. He almost [Ihad[/I lost his head. A lot of people had. Sitting up, he looked around madly, wanting to know where he was, what the hell was going on. By all rights, he should be dead. Unless that…. [Ithing[/I had kept him alive for its sick pleasure? Panicking, he rolled off of the table he had been lying on and rushed for the door.

It slid open just as he reached it. Running out of it, he slammed into the chest of a large man. Hitting the floor, he looked up, shielding himself with his arms. "Please don't kill me…" He muttered.

The man laughed. "Kill you? We saved you. I don't think we'd go through the trouble of doing that if we were just gonna kill ya later."

The one on the floor looked up to see a man dressed in an odd sweatshirt. "What… what do you mean?"

The man reached down to help the other up. "First thing first. Names. I'm Miguel. You?"

The man took Miguel's hand and pulled himself up. "I'm… JD. A few people used to call me the Laughing Man."

Miguel nodded as he stuck his hands in his hoodie. "You were pretty beat up there. We put you in a restoration chamber. Take about a half hour for what you went through."

JD blinked. "Where are we?"

Miguel shrugged. "A resistance group. This is the HQ. Your welcome to join. We need all the people we can get."

JD blinked again. They were going to offer him a spot just like that? "How… why the hell do you trust me already?" JD learned, living in the city, you trusted no one. You never knew who was an informer, who was part of the Security Police. How did they know he wasn't an Administration informant?

Miguel laughed. "We have our ways. We know your intentions. We got machinery that can tell us that, stuff you'd never dream of." Turning his back on JD, we gestured him to follow. "Come on, meet the group."

JD hesitated and looked down. "Erm… first… can you give me some clothes?"

Spinning on his heel in the narrow hallway, Miguel turned and laughed. "I completely forgot about that." He said between chuckles. They had had to remove all of his clothing but a pair of shorts for the chamber. "Come on, I'll give you a pair of pants and a shirt."

JD sighed in relief. It'd be a pretty poor resistance they let you run around close to naked. He followed Miguel down the small hallway to another door that opened before they got there. JD followed Miguel out and stopped short.

"Hey, Mig!" Kazuma yelled as they walked out, "how's the…" she trailed off seeing JD.

Miguel laughed. "Getting an eyeful Kazzy?"

Kazuma shook her head. "Why didn't you bring him clothes when you went there?"

Shrugging, Miguel said, "Eh, slipped my mind. Least DS isn't around, or this guy'd be dead."

Rolling her eyes, Kazuma threw out her hand, using the force to hit Miguel in the chest. "Too damned soon to be making jokes." She said, turning on her heel and heading back down the bare hallway back to the control room.

"Hey! You know its true!" Miguel yelled after her. All he got in response was the finger.

Rolling his eyes, Miguel shrugged. "Clothes're in this room. Pick out what you want." He said, walking to another door right across from the one they had exited. It slid open to reveal a few shelves stocked with clothing. "Meet me in the control room after you did so. Its that door." He pointed to the door Kazuma just walked through.

JD looked from the door, to Miguel, to the room full of clothes. If this was how the entire resistance was, he wanted to know why he wasn't dead yet. But instead of saying that, he simply nodded and entered the room.

As soon as he did so, Miguel left him and headed to the control room. Upon entering, he saw Jin still sitting at one of the computers, arguing with Kazuma. He walked over to Vergil and tapped his shoulder. "How long have they been at it?"

Vergil shrugged. "'bout a half hour."

Shaking his head, Miguel sighed. "Why doesn't Jin get it? DS would never go over to the other side. That couldn't have been him in that tape."

Shrugging again, Vergil said nothing. It was true DS would never go over by choice… but that figure had looked like him, and had used his weapon. Plus, how human was DS now anyways? They might have been able to reprogram him. But he sure as hell wasn't going to voice that to Miguel or Kazuma. He liked having his neck attached to his shoulders.

"Where's Vel?" Miguel asked after looking around the room and noticing the blonde haired boy was absent.

"Taking a shower. He was caked with blood under the dirt." Vergil said. After a moment he added, "Yes, I brought him to the shower, not Kazzy. You best not go DS on him."

Miguel just grinned. Until DS returned, someone would have to keep his legacy of violence alive. And he would return. He couldn't be dead.

A large bang made both Vergil and Miguel turn. Jin was now standing, his fist on the computer console. Kazuma was staring him in the eyes. "Why won't you just admit the possibility!?" He shouted.

"Because he wouldn't do that! He would have died instead!" Kazuma shouted right back.

Pointing to the screen, Jin yelled, "The thing matches his profile. The weapons match. From the basic scan I got, the energy signatures are close enough together! Admit it!"

Just as Kazuma opened her mouth, JD entered the room. "….What the hell is with all the shouting?" He asked, running a hand through his short, black hair.

Jin looked at the newcomer. "Someone won't face facts. But, welcome to the Underground." He said, a touch of ice in his voice.

JD arched a brow, sticking his hands in his blue jeans. "Yeah, that was about warm enough to freeze someone. Now… anyone want to explain what the hell's actually going on? And… how the hell you guys are actually alive?"

"I will," Miguel volunteered, "Verg, you get your training in."

Turning to face the console, Jin shook his head. "You guys might want to make it fast… Something's heading to the town right below us."

Kazuma looked at him from the corner of her eye. "What do you mean, something?"

Looking up at her, he smirked. "Don't worry, it's not DS."

If looks could kill, Jin would probably been dead from both Miguel and Kazuma. JD and Vergil sighed.

* * *

Well, this was actually up on another site a long time ago... But I was lazy and didn't post it. Main reason? It sucks.


	11. Enter the Sandman

"Then what the fck is it then?" Mig asked, the annoyance clear on his face.

Jin shook his head, all traces of the previous grin gone. "I have no idea… I can't get a lock on any signal. All I can tell is its heading a great velocity at the town situated below us."

Walking up to the computer monitor, Vergil leaned close to Jin. "So… is there only one?" he asked, looking at the screen and simply seeing a massive read of strange text floating downwards on the screen.

Shrugging, Jin admitted he didn't know. "There's no way to tell if it's a vehicle or a person moving that fast. So it could be a small vehicle carrying two or three… but no more then that."

Vergil nodded. So whatever it was, the Administration thought it could easily handle whatever they had sent them out to do. And, if it was the same as last time, that would be to destroy the town.

Kazuma returned from the room that housed the teleporter with four metal returners, the bracelets that let them return to the base. "How long until it reaches the town?"

"Ten minutes." Jin said after a moment. "Verg, get in the gate. Then, have JD in. No more the four minutes a piece. Then, follow our signals to the town."

Without waiting for further instructions or answering JD's questions about the gate and time, Vergil grabbed the man's wrist and ran out of the Control Room. Time was of the essence, and he could explain as he ran to the Gateway.

Taking one of the bracelets from Kazuma, Jin slid it on under his robes. Widening his own, Miguel attached his to his bicep, so that when he activated his Buso Renkin, his weapons, it would not interfere. Kazuma also attached her's to her wrist before running to the teleporter.

"Alright, we get there, we will move to intercept," Jin started to say, "There's a canyon that the target has to go through to reach the town. We'll stagger it out. Miguel and I will take point; Kazuma, you stay fifty meters behind us. Vergil and JD will be able to attack from the opening, closest to the town."

The other two simply nodded. With no idea what it was that was heading for them, this was the best they could do. Jin would be able to attack before it got close to the town, and Miguel would be able to defend him. If it kept going, Kazuma could keep it busy until Jin and Miguel could catch up. If it stopped to attack them, Kazuma, JD, and Vergil would be able to meet at the head of the canyon and attack.

It was a good plan. But as all knew, plans usually worked until you first made contact with the enemy, then it was all up to chance.

Stepping onto the darkened circle, Jin touched the bracelet on his arm, activating it. At once, all three were teleported in bright, blue beams of light to their destination.

------------------------------------------

The door slid open with a faint hiss as Blues stepped out of his room. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see JC leaning against the wall, waiting for him. Blues did not acknowledge him, but simply turned back in the direction he had originally come from.

JC stopped leaning against the wall and simply followed behind the red clad cyborg. The two of them, going silently through the halls of the Administration complex, ensured that neither was bothered. One Robot Master made people nervous. Two made them lock their doors.

After a few minutes of walking the long halls in silence, Blues finally spoke. "What do you want?" he asked quietly.

JC stopped in the middle of the hall. Blues stopped as well and turned to look at him. Neither said anything, but simply looked at each other.

Crossing his arms, JC broke the gaze first. "Its… about Kazuma." He said quietly.

Blues raised a brow beneath his helmet. JC didn't look at his helmeted face. At least with everyone else you could tell a bit of what they were thinking with the basic facial expressions. With that damned helmet there, he couldn't tell a thing. It was unnerving, to say the least.

"What about her?" Blues said finally, his voice just as quiet as before. Yet it was not the ductile quiet. It was harder then steel, and seemed to forbid any stupidity or wasted words.

JC understood the tone and said a bit quicker then he meant to, "What do you know about her? Is she… all right?"

Blues just stared at the other cyborg. Why would the man who tried to kill his own sister, now want to know if she was safe? It made no sense.

After a few moments, Blues said, "I…can't tell you."

JC's eyes grew wide in anger. Electricity began to spark to life around him. "What the fck do you mean you can't tell me?"

As the electricity began to grow fiercer, Blues raised his left arm, the buster forming in place of his forearm. "I can't tell you. And if I could, I wouldn't."

JC stared into the barrel of the buster, the electricity still crackling around him. Slowly however, the electricity slowly receded before it disappeared completely. However, Blues did not lower his weapon.

"We have a mission. It would do well if you continue to follow." Turning, Blues began to walk back towards the Garage, his left arm still his buster.

Sensing that JC was not following him, Blues said behind him, "Elceman."

JC jumped at the name that had been assigned to him by the Administration. "A… mission?" He asked, his voice now as quiet as Blues.

Blues did not answer JC, but instead continued walking down the hall towards the Garage. JC could be briefed himself as Blues checked the intel on the area. It would be a simple mission anyways. It just involved one small town, nestled in a canyon.

-------------------------------------

Seeing a large plum of samd beginning to rise in the distance, Miguel lowered the set of goggles from his face and gave Jin the thumbs up. Jin nodded. They would be here shortly.

Looking behind him, Jin saw the faint blue beams that marked JD's and Vergil's arrival. Jin felt a bit guilty at not having Vel along as well, but the man was still in shock. They had explained to him about the Gateway however, so he might have his powers by the time they returned. A little voice in the back of his head, however, replaced the [Iwhen[/I with [Iif[/i. He immediately shook his head. He had to stay confident.

Looking to Miguel, he asked if it was time. Miguel gave him another thumbs up.

Laying on his stomach between two rocks, one on each side, Jin pushed his hat up slightly, giving him a bit more view of the area in front of him. As the plume of dust darted forward, Jin began to mutter something to himself. All at once, explosions began to form around the cause of the plum.

Jin could not tell if they hit whatever was causing the plume however. These spells would only effect what he could see. He could see the plume, but not the cause. So, unless he scored a hit close enough…

The plum never stopped moving forward however. Even with explosions on all sides, it never darted or slowed. If anything, it sped up, heading for the rock canyon in the middle of the desert even faster.

As the plum sped up, Jin's spells began to get more powerful and frantic. Patches of earth began to erupt in front of the plum, but it continued on as if nothing happened. The ground in front of it froze over, but yet the plum continued on.

"Mig! Hit it!' Jin shouted.

Nodding, Mig lumped from his spot hidden behind the rocks and down into the canyon. Grinning slightly, he yelled, "Buso Renkin!"

The canyon filled with a bright, white light as his weapons formed. In front of him, a huge wall of fire erupted out of nowhere. Then, behind him, another wall, this time of solid ice, erupted. From above, Jin healed the wariness simultaneous moves like that caused. Jin was the ranged, Mig the melee. If Mig fell, Jin would as well.

The plum stopped in its tracks as the flames appeared directly in front of it. Miguel grinned. He would be able to see what exactly was heading toward the town behind him.

Jin touched his collar, radioing the other three. "The target has stopped moving. Meet here to help neutralize it." He was met with affirmatives even as he crouched behind the rocks and ran back to get a bit farther from the target, so he would have more casting room and could stop it if it got behind the others.

Miguel's grin disappeared abruptly. The plum of sand around the target was not fading. In fact, a sphere of sand seemed to be surrounding it.

Sneering, Miguel slashed both of his arms across his chest, the heat around the sphere increasing greatly. In a few moments, the sand was gone, replaced with a solid glass ball. However, he could still not see what was in it.

However, Miguel did not care. The sand around the target had been thick. When hardened, it made a much thicker glass. So, even if the target had not been baked, there was no way the could break through the sphere.

Touching his own collar, Miguel said, "Target has been neutralized, I repea-" he was cut off as the glass ball exploded, shards flying through the air like missles.

"Well… that was an interesting trick…" JC said, jumping off a motorcycle, "But… how about I show you a better one?" He said, a massive current of electricity erupting beneath Miguel.

Jumping in the air, Miguel made ice form beneath him, trying to get the water in it to absorb the electricity. However, with so little moisture in the desert air, and most of the available now in the giant wall of ice behind him, he barely got any. As a result, most of the electricity slammed into Miguel.

Falling to the ground, he cursed. Slowly, he pushed himself up, the hot sand digging into his hands. "Don't you have any new ones JC? Or are ya a one trick pony like always?"

Eyes narrowing, JC sneered. "I'm only getting warmed up…" he said. Behind him, the plume of sand was still swirling. All at once, it rocketed forward, slamming into the fire and depriving it of oxygen. It extinguished quickly.

JC began to step closer to Miguel, katars of pure electricity forming on his hands. Rising to his feet, Miguel grinned. "You think you can beat me with those?" he asked, smirking.

JC grimed. "No, but… I expect he can."

Miguel looked at JC confused as he stepped out of the way. A giant ball of sand slammed straight into Miguel's chest, sending him flying back into the cavern wall.

"Let me introduce… Sandman." JC said, as a man in long cargo pant and a leather jacket stepped off his own motorcycle. Long, dirty blond hair framed his face, his eyes hidden behind a pair of goggles. Scars ran up and down his face.

"'ey" He said, sticking his hands in his pockets, "hope ya liked my welcomin' gift."

Miguel pushed himself up off the canyon wall, running his hand across his mouth to wipe away the blood there. "Maybe this whole 'fight in ranks' thing wasn't the best idea Jin had…" Mig muttered. He could hold his own against one. But, against tow, and keeping the ice wall behind him? That made it a bit harder.

All of a sudden, a voice shouted, "Hey bro!" JC looked around wildly, before he suddenly flew backwards, slamming into the canyon wall.

Kazuma leapt from the top of the canyon, landing next to Miguel. "You alright?" she asked him, her Lightsaber coming to life in her hand. Mig nodded as Jin hit him with a healing spell.

As JC pushed himself off the wall, Sandman whistled. "Damn, we gotta little hottie' around here… Might just let ya live for myself…"

Electricity ran through Sandman's body, causing him to jump. He looked back at JC, anger apparent on his face. JC just shrugged. "I missed. Get over it."

Suddenly Sandman rocketed into the air. "Well I didn't!" JD's shouted, landing on the ground. His appearance had taken a drastic turn. His hair was now snow white, his eyes a glowing green. And, he had on a weird black and white jump suit.

JC groaned. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me…"

Grinning, JD flew into the air, and launched an ectoblast at Sandman before he could stand. Miguel rushed forward, following the blast, and slashed at Sandman as he flew.

JC rolled his eyes. No wonder the damned Earth powered freak had so many scars. However, as Miguel hit him, a wall of earth rose, hitting JD as he flew. JD fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of him.

Grinning, JC began to shoot electricity at JD. "So… we got a little phantom freak… too bad electricity effects even you."

Kazuma's face twisted in anger. "Forget him, face me!" she shouted, throwing out her fist, causing JC to go flying backwards. And right behind him now stood Vergil, who swung Alasator. The sword slammed into JC, causing him to go flying into the motorcycles they had used to get here.

Meanwhile, Sandman had managed to distance himself from a furious Miguel. Sandman was clutching his chest, blood and other fluids dripping from his chest. "ey! JC! Isn't it time yet?"

Pushing himself off the bike, JC grinned. "You're right…. It is…" And with that, four bolts of energy flew out of the cloud of sand, each one hitting one of the Underground in the chest, pushing them back.

The sand around the final bike disappeared, showing a figure dressed in red and gray, a helmet covering his head, and a buster on his left arm, standing next to the bike.

Miguel was the first to rise from the hit. He stared at the form of DS. "No… that's not true…" he said, staring at him.

Vergil was the second, and could say nothing. He simply stared.

Kazuma rose, her eyes never leaving DS. "Its impossible!" she yelled, before charging at the figure, her Lightsaber in her hands.

"Not so fast." JC said, electricity slamming into her body. "You're the weakest of them, yet you want to attack him? Heh, like that will happen." Kazuma writhed in pain as electricity slammed into her.

"YOU BASTARD!" Miguel shouted, flames launched at both JC and DS. Neither reached either of them, as Sandman rose a wall of earth before it could hit. Electricity then slammed into Miguel as well, knocking him unconscious.

JC threw Kazuma out from behind the wall, a grin on his face. "Whose next?"

Going intangible, JD rocketed through the air, right at JC. Only his fist became tangible as he slammed into the man, knocking him back yet again.

A huge explosion erupted right next to Sandman, blasting him into the wall of the canyon. The wall of Earth he had formed fell as he did.

Looking around the land, Vergil saw the crumpled form of Kazuma, the furious form of JD, the unconscious Miguel. Then, he looked to DS. His friend. His partner. His alley. "You bastard…." He muttered, his skin pulsing with electricity. "TAKE THIS!" he shouted, running faster then he had ever traveled at DS. "DIE YOU F8CKER! DIE D-"

He was cut off as Blues moved abruptly from the motorcycle to behind Vergil. "Shut up. School's in session." He said, a charged buster shot slamming into Vergil's back. "And its best if you start listening."

JC laughed as Vergil fell to the ground. Sandman had pulled JC underground, making it so that JD couldn't touch JC. JD had then gone tangible, only to have sand entrap around him and attempt to crush him. He had gone intangible, but not after taking a beating. Now he could barely rise.

"See? The training in the Administration is a lot better then these failures will ever achieve." JC said, grinning as Sandman brought him to the surface. Wiping blood from his face, he limped over to Kazuma's fallen form.

Blues was in front of JC before he could take more then five steps. "No, its still dangerous. Check on Sandman, he's bleeding far too much."

JC looked at Blues for a moment, before shrugging and turned to walk to Sandman.

Blues turned to look at Kazuma. After a moment, he turned and did the same to the fallen form of Miguel and Vergil. Then, he turned and faced where Jin was hiding.

Suddenly, three large cages made of solid rock erupted around Blues, JC, and Sandman.

"Sorry I'm late…" a voice said from above on the canyon wall, "but, better late then never."

Blues eyes landed on the figure above him. It was Vel, dressed in a red trench coat, white cloves covering his hands, the rest of his clothing pitch black. His long hair was even braided in the back.

Clapping his hands, he looked to Jin. "Not bad… eh?" He asked. Jin nodded, energy beginning to form in his hands.

"Vel, get ready to shield our friends… We'll finish this now." Jin said. Vel nodded.

JC laughed. "You think you can finish us? Bullshit! We'll be outta here in-"

Blues cut him off. "No, we leave."

JC looked at him as if he was crazy. "What do you mean, leave?! Our mission isn't complete!"

Blues turned to face JC. "We got what we came for. Pull out, that's an order!"

Angrily, JC and Sandman teleported off to the Garage in the familiar bright, blue light. Blues turned, casting another glance at those who were unconscious, before following.

* * *

This one was up for a while as well. It felt a bit rushed to me, but... hey, everyone else loved it. I wonder why...

REMEMBER! Review please. This has to be the least hit story I have here.


	12. P5hng Me Awy

As the blue light faded from the Garage, angry voices greeted the trio. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You could have finished it there!"

Blues looked up at the looming figure of Dark Chaos, the Admin that was most known to the rest of the world. His arms crossed beneath his chest, Dark Chaos stared at Blues, as if demanding an answer.

Saying nothing, Blues looked at where JD and Sandman had teleported. Each stood in mimicry of the Admin, neither speaking to defend their comrade.

"Well?" Dark Chaos asked, taking another step forward, now almost chest-to-chest with the cyborg.

The mouth covering closing to hide his lips, Blues returned the Admin's stare through his helmet. "I did what I thought was best. My mission was to engage them and see their response time, not to destroy them. We gained intel to help us with that task at a later date."

Nostrils flaring in anger Dark Chaos sneered. "What you thought was best? Your mission was to cause as much harm to them as possible! You barely scratched them!"

"We were out manned, out gunned, and out maneuvered. Give me a team that can actually handle them, and maybe I could have!" Blues shouted at him, his hand flying out to point at JC and the Sandman.

Suddenly, without warning, Blues was thrown back without being touched, his body slamming into the wall of the Garage, concrete and steel bending and breaking as he slammed into them. "You had orders. You have failed them. As the leader of the team, you will be dealt with."

Falling on all fours, Blues coughed, blood splattering the inside of his helmet. Millions of thoughts flashed through his mind at once as he struggled to push himself up, struggled to see out of his helmet. The world seemed to be moving on its own accord. Slowly, bits of concrete digging into his palms, causing more blood to flow from them, Blues pushed himself to his feet. Staggering slightly, he looked to Dark Chaos. "My orders were from the Head himself. I did what-"

"To hell with what you thought was right!" Dark Chaos shouted, taking another step closer to the unsteady Blues, "You had your orders and you broke them. You were to gain intel as a secondary objective. Your primary was to damage the insurgents as much as possible, or destroy them completely!"

Looking to JC and Sandman, Blues snarled under his helmet. "[II[/I caused as much damage as I could. They surrounded us, disabling Sandman. JC barely did damage as it was. They were readying something that could have destroyed us. The same something that destroyed New Haven."

"Bullsh!t," both JC and Sandman said. Each received a look from Blues and Dark Chaos that silenced them.

A large screen flickered to life behind JC and the Sandman. "Your movement is classified as a short term teleporter. You could have easily escaped from surrounding and disabled those who were endangering us. No one hurts us, remember? The people need us. These rebels, these terrorists are going to try and gain followers. The longer they remain out there, the more they damage us! The more we are damaged, the more chaos spreads throughout the world, causing people to lose their security. And, Blues, we cannot have that." The familiar red eyes seemed to bore holes through him.

Eyes widening, Blues stared at the screen that was projecting the image of who was supposed to be the Head of the Administration. No one knew who he was outside the circle of Admins. The only thing the public saw of him were his crimson red eyes that seemed to float in the darkness of the screen.

"That only activates on instinct, remember Leader? My memory files are locked before joining the Administration. I only have the basic functions available to me. I simply did-"

Again, Dark Chaos cut him off. "So you admit it was not instinctive to destroy the insurgents? You yourself were one a short while ago. How do we know that you are loyal, and not simply keeping us out of your files yourself, keeping us ignorant while you run some terrorist plot? If memory serves, you were the first to cause any damage to us!"

Eyes widening in rage, Blues rushed at Dark Chaos, his CyberSword igniting in his right hand, his left already turned into his Buster. A shot slammed into the Admin's chest, causing him to take a step back. Bringing his blade up over his left shoulder, Blues slashed diagonally at him.

However, he was once more pushed back without being touched, his body flying at the wall. This time he flipped in the air, so that his feet hit the wall first, allowing him to push off of it and launch himself right back at Admin. However, he was only halfway through the air when electricity shoot through his body, driving him into the darkness of unconsciousness.

Stepping out of the way, Dark Chaos let Blues' body slam into the ground where he had been standing, the cyborg's head bouncing off of the steel floor. JC and Sandman stepped next to the Admin and stared at Blues, almost expecting him to rise to attack once more.

"As he is now, he stands as a danger to himself and all those around him," The voice of the Leader said, "We have twenty days until our victory is insured. We cannot let anything interfere with our plan until then. I want you to throw him in the holding cells. Disable both his weapons, and wipe the last two hours from his memory banks. He will not need medical attention because of the nanobots in his body. There is an advantage to having cyborgs as soldiers, isn't there Darkie?"

Dark Chaos nodded as he motioned for JC and Sandman to pick up Blues' body. Turning his back on the screen, he walked out of the Garage and in the direction of the holding cells, silently fuming all the way there.

-------------------------------------------------------------

The mood within the Control Room was utterly depressing. All sat in chairs nursing their wounds in silent. No one looked at each other. No one spoke. However, what they all were thinking about was obvious.

Vel was sitting with both eyes closed, his arms crossed in front of his chest as if he was sleeping. JD was sitting next to him, tenderly touching the wounds on him inflicted by Sandman.

Kazuma was sitting with her legs crossed on the chair, staring forward. Miguel was next to her, his arms hanging loosely over the sides of the chair, his gave at the ceiling. Vergil sat as far back as his chair would let him, staring at the ceiling as well, his entire body hurting.

The only one who was doing anything was Jin. When they had re-entered the base, he had slipped a small, silver disk from the inside of his cloak and had slid it into the computer mainframe. He had been typing ever since.

Suddenly, Kazuma broke the silence. "Why?" was all she asked. Yet all knew what she was referring to.

"He stabbed us in the back. He let us think he was dead… while he went running around with them… He…" Vergil shook his head.

Miguel snarled, "He's dead. He is no longer my brother. From now on… he receives what every other fckin Administration hypocrite will get. A slow and extremely painful death."

Kazuma shook her head. "But… [Iwhy[/I?" she asked again.

There was silence. No one knew the answer. No one could even fathom why DS had left them and worked for those he had hated with such a passion. The thought itself was illogical. Yet, here it was, facing them all. And no one knew why. Their physical wounds near did not hurt those who had known him as much as the emotion scars cause by the deflection.

Suddenly, Jin said, "I know why."

Everyone turned to look at him, a questioning look on their face. "…How?" Vel asked quietly.

"Because… that's not DS." Jin said simply.

All looked at him with disbelief. "But… we saw him! We fought him! He spoke just like him!" Kazuma said.

"Are you saying we all imagined the ordeal?" Vergil asked angrily, "'cause I [Iknow[/I I didn't imagine that wound he gave me."

Shaking his head, Jin held out his hands as he turned to face them all. "No… I scanned the energy signatures of those who were there and matched them up to the video of those who attacked our facility. Sandman was apparently one of those who attacked us then. But, when I matched that DS' signature to ours… They didn't match."

Jumping out of his chair, Miguel grinned, "That's great!" he shouted.

"No, its [Inot[/I great." Jin said abruptly.

"…What the hell do you mean?" JD asked, looking at Jin sideways, "I know I just got here… but isn't [Inot[/I having to fight against an ally a good thing? Or am I just imagining things?"

Ignoring JD's statement, Jin went on. "If it was DS, at least there would be a chance of turning him to our side, a chance he wouldn't attack with all he's got. As it stands now, this DS, this clone the Administration made to mess with us, will show no limitations our DS would. Plus…" He trailed off.

The first to get it, Kazuma's stared in surprised, "Plus… the administration would want to get rid of what they created the clone with… meaning…"

"…They would have killed DS…" Vergil finished.

Solemnly, Jin nodded. "So… we were all wrong."

Kazuma stood and grabbed both Miguel's and Vergil's wrists. "Come on… We need to get you two patched up…" She said softly, pulling them both towards the door.

Vergil and Miguel followed her in silence.

"So… we have to train even more to make up for this. If they killed him, we can assume they got all of the information out of him that they could. Which would include the location of this base." JD said. Unlike the rest of the team, he had not been a friend of DS, had in fact never met the man. So, the news that he was dead had little ill effect on him.

Slowly, Jin nodded. "We need to relocate the base. We also need to train as much as possible. This means… for the next two days, we need to do nothing but train inside an outside the Gate. The others can recruit when its safe."

Getting to his feet, Vel nodded. "I'll go back to the gate and train. I got the least experience, and JD needs patched up as well."

Nodding, Jin turned back to the console and began to type in the codes to relocate the base to a different position. Only half of his mind was on it however. For all the arguments he had gotten into with DS, he had been a friend. At least before there was the possibility of him coming back…

--------------------------------------------------

Groaning, Blues opened his eyes, his head pounding. The blood in the inside of his helmet was gone now, cleaned up by the nanobots apparently. With a groan, he tried to push himself off of the cold, stone floor, only to have pain shoot through his body. A grunt escaped his lips as his body flopped back to the cold stone.

Taking deep breaths, he tried to look at his surroundings. The cell he was in was almost pitch black, only a few candles giving off light in the far corners outside of his cell. The robotics in his optics increased to try and catch all the light they could so that he could actually see.

Thick iron bars divided him from the outside, three walls made of the bars forming the cell. The other wall seemed to be made of the same stone as the floor. The ceiling was low to the floor, keeping him from being able to stand up straight whenever he would be able to stand again.

The cell itself was filthy. A toilet without a lid sat near the stone wall, a tray of food next to it, rats eating the food that was on it. A liquid dripped from the ceiling near where he laid. Not really wanting to think about what it could be. Blues looked back down at himself.

He knew his arms where chained together behind him. He could feel the chains on his back as soon as he regained consciousness. However, he had not been aware that his feet were also chained together. At most, he could only move them a few centimeters apart.

Thinking back at what had happened to bring him here, he found he had difficulty remembering. However, after a few seconds, a small voice said, "Artificial Memory has been compromised. Security almost breached. A false record of events was deleted instead." The nanobots then began to go through the records that the hacker had tried to access and failed.

Going through them, Blues groaned, hitting his head off of the stone floor. Why had he lost his cool? Why had he let them get to him? Because of that he was tied down, imprisoned.

"All I wanted…" he muttered to himself, "was to protect those who needed it. For the betterment of man. Now I can't even do that…"

Closing his eyes, Blues shook his head. He didn't even know who he really was now. He couldn't remember a single thing before he joined the Administration. He only knew what they had told him. Now, that didn't even matter.

Then, the candles went out, and his world was sent into darkness once more.

* * *

Newest chapter, it just came out last night, but I had to go before I could post all of these. The first and last parts are the best in my opinion, the mid part... I rewrote it two times before the version you see, and they always sucked.

That's why that last section was added. It was actually supposed to be the first part of the next chapter, but... The mid part was so short and sucked so badly, it needed in here.

Hope you enjoy. This thing might be about halfway done. Or about a third. I haven't decided yet.

Remember, review!


	13. Five Days Later

Throwing herself on her bed, Kazuma sighed. Running a hand over her sweaty forehead, she closed her eyes, trying to force the fatigue out of her mind. Her body was grateful for this rare rest; it had done nothing but train for the last five days.

Putting her hands behind her head, she gazed at the ceiling, her breathing slightly audible. Even as her heart calmed from her last trip into the Gateway, her mind had begun to race. She, like just about everyone in the Underground, could not help but think of two things. What Jin had said, and their current…'problem'.

A knock on the door interrupted her thought. Propping herself on her elbows, she called the person in. As the door slid open, the slightly slouched form of Vergil leaned in, his hands stuffed in the large pockets of his red coat. Without waiting for another word, he walked into her room and let the door close behind him. With a grunt, he turned, and sat on Kazuma's bed, making her hastily sit up to avoid being sat on.

"…You know if DS were still here, you'd be a dead man right about now, right?" Kazuma asked, the false sweetness in her voice almost enough to make Vergil choke.

Looking at the ceiling, Vergil shrugged. "Vel would have died long before me. Besides, I wouldn't have to make this trip if DS was still around."

Just about to agree, Kazuma stopped and arched a brow at the white haired man. "What do you mean?"

Sighing, Vergil put his arms behind his head and continued staring at the ceiling. "Don't you find it weird? For the last five days, there hasn't been any more Administration activity."

Pushing herself off the bed, Kazuma hopped into one of the small chairs that stood near the desk in her room. "What the hell are you talking about? You were on one of the scouting missions with me three days ago. You saw how tight those bastards have the borders to all their towns. No one can get in that hasn't been in there for at least a month before that."

Rolling his eyes, Vergil stared at her. "You got to be kidding me… I don't mean that. I mean, they haven't made any big moves. No attacking cities. No crusades to capture the 'terrorists'. Hell, I haven't seen a single piece of propaganda down there opposing us yet! Its like nothing has ever happened!"

Looking up at him, Kazuma blinked. He was right. There was almost nothing going on within the Administration proper. Sure, they couldn't get into any cities, but other then that, it seemed that the Admins weren't going to make a single move against them.

"Now… What I want to know… is why," Vergil said, his arms dropping to his sides, "Its not natural. They've never stopped before they knew their enemies were destroyed. Now they know the opposite, and they don't make a single move? Something's up… they're about to do something."

Kazuma eyed Vergil. "…Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you're the only one not all depressed! The only one who seems more focused on what we started then what has happened and can't be reversed. You're the only one that seems ready to finish what we started! To actually make a move!" Vergil said, pent up energy beginning to enter his voice.

Warily looking him up and down, she shook her head, "You're beginning to sound like someone who died not too long ago."

"Well maybe that's what we damn well need!" Vergil said, jumping off of the bed, "There is no fckin way that DS died that easily. Something's going on, something that's bigger then this. Something that could sweep us all up and kill us in one fell swoop."

Kazuma just looked at him. "And what do you want me for?"

Holding out his hand, Vergil grinned. "I got a job that the Underground doesn't need to know about. I know DS trusted you and Mig the most. I was close behind that. I've found records while searching his computer. He had reasons for wanting to move earlier. It wasn't just his ego like we thought it was."

Her eyes narrowing, Kazuma said, "…What the hell do you mean?"

"Do you trust me?" He asked abruptly.

"What?" she said incredibly.

"I asked, do you trust me?" he said again.

"Of course I do." She said slowly.

"Then follow me. We have to get this ball rolling once again."

Grabbing Vergil's hand, Kazuma stood and followed him out the door. She released it as soon as they were out of her room.

Without a word, Vergil headed to the Control Room, his hands once more in his long coat's pockets. Without pausing, he walked through the doors, into the room in which only Jin was working.

"Hey, Jin! It's your time to train. We'll take over for the time being." Vergil said, sitting into the chair next to him.

Jin looked up, his yellow eyes wider under the dark shadows of his hat. "Already? Damn… I musta lost track of time… Thanks Verg." He said, pushing himself out of his chair and hurrying to the door, almost tripping over his cloak as he ran.

Waving, Vergil yelled, "Anytime man!" As soon as the doors closed, Vergil stood and hurried to teleportation room, Kazuma a little ways behind him. Grabbing two of the bracelets, he threw one to the Jedi. She caught it, and looked at him questionably.

He ignored the look and moved to the console and began to type in coordinates. It was only when she grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around did he ask, "What?"

Looking him in the eyes, Kazuma leaned in close to him and said, "What are you doing? You lied to Jin and now you're doing exactly what DS did! What the hell are you planning? Where are we going?"

Grinning, he backed up a few feet, Kazuma following him. "I know where they're keeping him. And we're going to go and get him back."

Kazuma's eyes widened. "Him? Who are you talking about? Where are we going?!"

"No time for more questions! Fasten your seatbelts, because the ride's about to start!" Vergil yelled, punching a button next to him on the wall. The familiar blue beam of light came down, transporting the both of them.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The light faded around them both as they landed on solid ground. Pushing herself from Vergil, Kazuma fell to the ground, anger evident on her face. "What the hell did you do? Where are w-"

She was cut off as Vergil placed a hand over her mouth and pulled her to her feet. "Shut up! Do you want them to know we're here?" He hissed at her.

Grabbing his wrist and ripping it off of her mouth, Kazuma hissed back, "Let _who_ know we're here dammit?!"

Grabbing her wrist, Vergil pulled her against one of the large, black walls he was standing against. "The Administration, dammit. Do you want them on top of us already? We just got to their strong hold! Don't make me regret brining you!"

Eyes widening, Kazuma let Vergil drag her through the maze as her mind raced. Questions ran through her head at an insane pace. How had he found the Administration's HQ? How had he got them here without anyone detecting them? Who were they here to rescue? And why did he need her?

Before they rounded a corner, Vergil stopped dead and flattened himself against the wall. "What are you…." Kazuma started to ask, but Vergil turned and pressed a finger to her lips, his other hand reaching out and punching a console near one of the doors to the many empty rooms that littered the almost abandoned black hallways. Without a moment's hesitation, he pushed her into the room, himself following, the door closing quickly behind him.

Within a few seconds, footsteps could be heard echoing through the halls. Both Vergil and Kazuma seemed to not breath as the footsteps came closer to their hiding place. Two pairs of feet could be seen through under the door, both now stopped in front of their position.

"How is the progress of Version 2.0 proceeding?" A male voice asked quite calmly.

Another voice cursed slightly as it fiddled with whatever the owner was holding. "It should be done in… about an hour, Master Farseer." The male voice said.

"Ah… Just as it has been foreseen…" Farseer said, pleasure evident in his voice, "And, do we need 1.0 for anything else?"

A few papers were shuffled around before the other voice said, "No, we don't need him any longer."

"Excellent… You may tell the mechanics that they can destroy Blues within the hour." Farseer said, walking forward once more. The other man opened another door directly across the hall, and from the sound of things, entered the room, letting the door shut behind him.

Both Vergil and Kazuma looked at each other, each with realizations dawning on their faces. Vergil realized that he only had a matter of moments to go to the detention area and rescue his friend. Kazuma realized that Vergil was mad, trying to rescue someone that wasn't even their friend, simply a tool of the enemy.

Vergil rose quickly to his feet, and was about to open the door when Kazuma grabbed his hand. "What the hell are you doing?" She hissed.

"I'm going to rescue our friend!" He hissed back.

She looked at him as if he was mad. "He's not DS! Its just a clone!"

Eyes widening in rage, Vergil said, "You don't know that! Its some lame ass hypothesis Jin came up with! Well, fine! I'll test it!" And with that, he hit the console to the door, and rushed out of it, going deeper into the complex.

With a sigh, Kazuma followed suit. She could go nowhere else. She couldn't abandon him. Not here.

She quickly caught up with him, using the Force to silence her steps. "How far away is the detention facility?" she asked.

Vergil motioned to the single door at the end of the hall. "Through there… but it will be hell to get in. We'll have to move fast…"

Kazuma nodded. That was why he had brought her. He needed someone to watch his back as he busted into the prison. And he wanted to make sure that they wouldn't run. She couldn't blame him, but that didn't make her happy about it.

Vergil was about to move forward as large pounding resonated on the other side of the door. Stopping in his tracks, he stared at the large door. "What in the hell…?" he asked, just as the pounding increased. With a lunge, he pushed Kazuma into another room. This time she said nothing as the door to the detention center exploded off of its hinges and flew through the hallway.

A soft, low chuckle began to drift through the hallway, as the room suddenly got incredibly hot. "I remember…" a voice said, "I REMEMBER!"

Kazuma's eyes widened. "That sounds like…"

"…DS." Vergil finished, his hand grasping the hilt of the large sword on his back.

More shouts came from outside the door, then gunshots. The low chuckling never stopped as men screamed. The heat from inside the room was beginning to become unbearable fast. Vergil stood and moved closer to the door, ready to burst out of it, when he realized he was standing in liquid.

"What the hell…" he muttered, picking up his feet to look at his boots. His eyes widened as he noticed his boots were caked in blood. Whatever was happening out there, many were dying because of it.

"Your cells can't hold me!" The man they believed to be DS roared, "No one can!"

Vergil couldn't stand it any more. He ran to the door and tried to open it, only to find it stuck. Grabbing his sword, he slashed through it, screaming, "Don't screw with me!"

Cutting the door cleanly it two, Vergil kicked it, one of the halves falling over, leaving a gap large enough for them both to exit one at a time. However, as Vergil squeezed through the door, bile raised in his throat. Dead bodies, gore, and body parts littered the hallway, a film of blood covering the floor.

"Kazuma… stay in there…" He said, his sword still in hand, "its not safe."

Pushing him forward, Kazuma said, "All the better for me to come out!" However, once her eyes fell on the destruction, she simply stared. She looked away as more men screamed down the hall.

"This way!" Vergil said, turning on his heel and running back the way they had come.

Kazuma rolled her eyes. "Great, so now we're going to run _towards_ the crazy man who wants to kill everyone…" Vergil just ignored her and kept running forward.

Skidding to a stop, Kazuma ran into Vergil's back. Falling back, she looked around him. Her eyes widened. "DS!" she shouted almost happily.

The man in red turned, his buster glowing brightly, a charged shot building in his grasp. "So… more sheep to the slaughter…" He said, the mania obvious in his voice.

Kazuma blinked, confused. "DS… what are you talking about? Don't you remember us?"

The man aimed the buster at them. "No more tricks! No more! I reject you!" The build up in the buster grew brighter.

Grabbing her by the wrist, Vergil pulled Kazuma to her feet. "We gotta get outta here!"

She stared at him, amazed. "We can't leave him!"

"We sure as hell can't take him! He'd kill us all!" Vergil screamed at her.

Shaking her head rapidly, Kazuma tried to get around Vergil. Grabbing her other wrist, Vergil slammed his thumb on the bracelet, activating it.

"No!" She screamed, the bright blue light taking her up.

Vergil turned to stare at his friend. "I'll be back… trust." He said before pressing his own bracelet. He did so just as the man aimed his buster at the floor and fired, a massive explosion rocking the entirety of the Administration's HQ.

All the while, a mad laugh echoed through the halls.

* * *

Woo. I stayed in one POV for once. Its amazing, isn't it?

Anyways, I orginally had this up on XC like on, wendsday or thursday. I was lazy. Sue me.

And... I like this chapter. It was slightly inspired by the manga _Akira. _Great manga. I'm about to watch the Movie now. can't wait.

Hope ya like.


	14. Please Insert Disk Two

Sorry these updates too so long. These chapters, 14-19, were written a few months to a year ago. They still haven't been read over yet. So... enjoy. Its going to be interesting. They still follow the plot... but yeah.

Just remember, review!

* * *

Smoke was everywhere

Smoke was everywhere. Any human who was left was coughing, or covering their wounds, or just trying to get out of the hallways. There were no machines left. They had all been destroyed in a massive EMP explosion that had actually sent pieces of the Mavericks flying, helping to kill more of the humans.

JC had been one of the few unlucky Robot Masters to be around the impact zone. Even though he looked like a human on the outside, he was still at least in part a robot. The fact that his left arm and his right leg did not work was not lost on the few humans still moving within the sea of destruction.

He had his orders, but he couldn't get anywhere close to the epicenter if he wanted to live. The EMP was still active, and was destroying anything that entered its field of effect.

Cursing under his breath, he leaned against the wall, gripping his left arm. He couldn't even feel anything in it. Whatever its immediate purpose, the blast had caused more psychological damage then any would have guessed. You didn't know what terror was until you found out that an enemy could plant something so close to home that could make you, without warning, not even be able to _feel_ part of your body.

He was supposed to be able to handle the EMP, him or the other Master. But there was little he could do when he could barely even stand, let alone even try to use electricity. He supposed a Mechanic could help him regain the feeling in his limbs, but…

Looking down, JC cursed once more. All the hallways leading to the detention center stunk with a thick, metallic smell. Any nimrod could see why. Blood was splattered everywhere. The pathetic humans where still panicking, spreading the blood, causing the sea of it to fan out throughout the complex.

A door farther down the hallway slammed open as Dark Chaos flew through it, a snarl stamped on his face. His eyes landed on the crippled from of JC as he stopped. "What is the meaning of this, cyborg?" he roared in rage.

JC just shook his head. He would not say anything because he couldn't. Part of his jaw was also robotic, and thus disabled by the EMP. Chaos, however, took it as disobedience.

"Machine, I need not remind you that not answering a direct question issued by an Administrator is in violation of the law, and can be punishable by death?" Dark Chaos roared. JC was slammed against the wall.

Biting one of his fingers, JC turned to the wall and began to draw with his own blood. "I CAN'T SPEAK" it read.

Dark Chaos looked at him angrily before touching the collar of his black cloak and muttering something into it. "A Mechanic will be here momentarily. Then you are to disable that EMP and report directly to me! Without delay!" Without waiting for a nod, he turned and stormed away, leaving JC alone to shake his head, and wonder if he had been that stupid as a human as well.

--

Clutching a piece of paper, Miguel stared at the computer screen, not believing what he was seeing. It had been his turn to watch any of the cities that were close to the Administration's stronghold.

Explosions were the very least of what he had expected to see. Explosions that had filled his entire monitor, leaving the cameras near it broken, broadcasting nothing but static. Hurriedly, he switched to different cameras, farther from the epicenter. He had been expecting a crackdown from the Admins once their equipment noticed the cameras, but something like this could not be caused on purpose.

Farther out, smoke plumed from the stronghold. The sky above it was becoming steadily darker. However, there was one thing that caught Miguel's eyes. There was a line of Mavericks screaming out of the barracks, all headed in one direction.

He knew that whatever had happened was not accidental. Someone or something had caused it, and the Administration wanted it. What it was, however, was something that Miguel couldn't figure out. Whatever it had been caused so much destruction so quickly…

The buzz of the teleporter made him turn, his brow raised. A few moments later, he shook his head as both Vergil and Kazuma limped out of the room. Raising his hand to silence both of them, he turned and pulled up the log for the teleporter. What he found did not make him happy.

Taking arm off of Kazuma's shoulders, Vergil raised both hands and limped forward. "Look, Mig, I can explain…"

Standing, Miguel took a step towards him and peered down at him, arms crossed in front of his chest. "You disobeyed orders. You left without notification. You entered an enemy stronghold completely alone and with no one knowing of your whereabouts. You then proceeded to detonate something within the bowels of their complex."

Vergil winced. "Look, you don't understand…"

Flames roared to life around Miguel. "Don't understand? Look here you little bastard… Not only did you go to the enemy base, you took Kazuma with you."

Vergil looked at him as if he was insane. "Is that _all_ you care about?"

The flames around Miguel disappeared at once. "No… I'm pissed you didn't tell me what you were up to. I couldda' helped ya know."

From behind, Kazuma groaned. "Can we forget about this little moment and talk about what actually happened? And, preferably, somewhere where Jin can't hear us?"

Blinking, Miguel nodded. "Oh yeah, 'course." Turning, he opened the door to lead them to the outside hallway. He only took a few steps before reaching Kazuma's door. Quickly, she stepped in front of him and opened it.

"So nice to have you two back. And with a friend no less." Jin said, rising from Kazuma's bed.

"…Shit." Vergil said.

--

"You were the closest to the area in question. What do you mean, you have no idea what happened!?" A feminine voice from far above shrieked.

Farseer winced, his back to the wall of the Grand Hall of the Administration. It was his first time being addressed from below the dark pedestal that all of his fellow Admins stood on. It was the first time that something of his had fault associated to it.

He opened his mouth to make a case for himself, but was cut off by more shrieking. Putting hands in the pockets of his robes, he grinded his teeth. How long was this going to last?

Finally, after more tongue lashing, another voice said, "My dear… let us hear what he has to say, hm?" Immediately, the female stopped. The man with the red eyes had spoken, and when he did, everyone, even his equals, listened.

Farseer bowed. "Thank you." He said simply as he rose, straightening his dark blue robes. Gold scrollwork ran up their sides. "Now, the future has been… difficult… to read for quite sometime. It has been as if the more you tried to read it, the more it slipped from your grasp."

Angrily the woman shouted, "And just what the hell does that mean?"

Calmly, Farseer said, "That, my dear old hag, is exactly what I have been telling you for weeks now, but none seem to wish to hear. The way of the future is too chaotic to be read. Simply put, I cannot tell you what will happen before it does anymore."

Another's voice rose, a man's this time. "Well… if that is so, then what use are you to us anymore?"

Glowering up above, Farseer said, "The times ahead will be most troublesome for all. I can still see bits and pieces of the portrait, if not the whole. To get rid of me, would be like ridding yourselves of your own eyes. Stupid and suicidal."

"Besides…" the man with red eyes began, "we do not let another Administrator leave our service until death takes them. We need our sootheslayer… and who better to have then one who was named for his power?"

--

"Miguel, I will speak to you later." Jin said, his hand behind his back, "leave at once."

Miguel did not move.

"Mig, I am in charge here. You will leave now!"

Again, Miguel did not move. Instead, he said a single phrase. "No, you're not."

Jin's eyes narrowed as both Vergil and Kazuma got out from between the two. "What did you say?"

Miguel looked at him and said it again, "You are not in charge around here. This is a group, with no leader. We all make decisions. You are not in charge so stand down."

Yellow eyes glowing brightly, Jin slammed a finger into Miguel's chest. "Listen here and listen well. We are a group at war against something that is much bigger then any of us. We need leadership. We need order. And I'm the only one stepping up."

Mig glared at him before grabbing his finger. "Your leadership? Your orders? Like the ones that caused DS to attack on his own, to prove something to you? You can't blame just him for that. That was your doing. Just as this," he gestured to Vergil and Kazuma, "was your doing as well."

Jin growled, faint lightning beginning to run up and down his arms. He looked from Miguel to Vergil and Kazuma before saying, "Fine. But I will not leave. Whatever story you were going to tell Miguel, I get to hear as well." He looked to Miguel and said sardonically, "Because we're a _group_"

And so, Kazuma and Vergil sat on the bed, and began to tell exactly what had happened.

--

Outside the Administration's complex, battalions of Mavericks where beginning to march. Each battalion was made of different Mavericks, each complimenting each other, each there to aid the others in some way. They were all headed towards the east. Towards where _it_ had gone.

Mechanics had been issued with the battalions, to upkeep them and make sure that they were always prepared to fight. They did not know what was going on. The only thing that they did know was that they were tracking whatever had caused this destruction.

They were not told that it was a person, but a thing. So, they naturally believed that it was some sort of weapon, and that they were simply tracking the ones who had access to it. They had no idea what they were actually getting into. If they had, many of them would have opted to stay with the Robot Masters.

In front of this massive army of metal was a single Robot Master, his arms crossed in front of him, his long hair hiding his face. He turned to look at his battalions, and simply shook his head.

"Tell me again…" he said to the monitor in front of him, "why I have to lead this army with me? It would be much easier for me to track him myself. After all, I am the one who knows how he thinks."

A voice from the screen chuckled. "TimeMan, I have utmost confidence in your abilities. However. We cannot afford to slip up in this. It has hurt us when nothing can. It must be destroyed. Failure is not an option."

Mattiks touched his forehead, annoyed. "But, if you want him gone faster…"

The voice cut him off. "You are the one who said that he would respond best to a challenge. If this is not a challenge…" The voice became much more tense, "then we will give him one."

Mattiks nodded, before adding, "Then can we at least get moving? If he is anything like how he used to be, we will already be far ahead of us."

The voice muttered an affirmative. Mattiks made a signal with his hands. The thousands of Mavericks responded by pressing something in the center of their chests. A large, purple field grew around them.

Holding out his hands, Mattiks stopped time, before marching forward. Behind him, the Mavericks followed.

The hunt had begun.

--

On the tallest peak of the Administration's citadel, a single figure chuckled as it moved outside TimeMan's field. For the rest of the world, time stood still.

But for it, time did not matter.

Nothing did.

Nothing but revenge. Nothing but the need to destroy the one all sought. Nothing but the need to prove itself.

Nothing but the need to utterly and completely destroy the man in red, and all who opposed its will.

And within the blink of an eye, it was gone, following the trail of the one it sought


	15. Searching for New Data

Panting, his brow soaking with sweat, Vel ran, clapping his hands together before slamming them against a wall beside him. Spikes began to erupt from the wall behind him, slamming into the flying Mavericks that were in close pursuit.

Sliding around a corner, he through himself down as he clapped his hands and touched the ground, a wall of spikes erupting being him, covering his entrance. "Damn it, where the hell is that guy…" Behind him, the hum of Mavericks increased, the hundreds within the city closing in on his position.

Pushing himself up, Vel ran, his red coat in tatters. There were simply too many of them. Add to that, he had been separated from his partner. This was most definitely not how this operation was supposed to go.

This city had issued a cry of help on all radio channels. It did not say from what, but that they needed help and fast. Jin had sent Vel and JD down to the city to secure it. And the two had been welcomed by a countless wave of Mavericks, all of them marching through the city, shooting anything that stood in their way.

They were about to teleport away from the city; get back to the base, when they had seen someone within the city. It had looked like this may not have been the trap it had looked like. But now… Vel just hoped that they were damn sure. They weren't even sure if they could teleport from this city and not be tracked back to the base. They were basically stranded.

Vel looked back just as a shot was fired through the spikes, shattering them. He cursed as he ran, cursed everything. What was worse, was that these robots were typically a piece of cake! These sort of numbers however… He could make a stand, but he'd eventually be over run. There were simply too many of them.

Suddenly, a Maverick dropped down from the building in front of him, causing him to fall to the ground. Looking up through his blonde hair, he cursed again. This Maverick was huge. It resembled those that had been under Reggie's command except much, much larger. Its single large, red eye turned, and looked at Vel.

Taking no time, Vel reached out and grabbed the Maverick's leg. Purple electricity ran up it, before its limb shattered into bits and pieces of metal. The Maverick came crashing to the ground. Clapping his hands again, Vel slammed them against the machine's chest, and prayed that this would work. Both of his arms began to glow with a bright, white light, forcing him to squint.

Slowly the light faded. Looking at his arms, he grinned. Over each of his forearms were small, metallic braces with blasters on top of them. "I guess there was enough of those parts…" he said, before running once more.

Turning another corner in this huge, steel labyrinth, Vel ran straight into another huge Maverick, this one pointing both of its machine gun arms at him. Before he could fire a single shot, the Maverick fired, blasting another Maverick behind him to bits.

"…Okay, what the fuck?" Vel asked.

JD spoke from within the Maverick, causing Vel to jump. "Its easier to get around piggybacking one of these guys then trying to fly around this place. They don't notice me as much. You know, except when I start blasting them to bits…"

Vel said nothing, instead firing behind JD to hit another Maverick marching towards them. "Can we just, not talk and get out of here? There has to be a reason for this many damn robots, and I'd much rather not find out why."

JD nodded, and began lumbering forward. "This guy's got a GPS layout of the area with a path leading right through the city. It looks like they're supposed to march right through… But, where the hell are they going, and why couldn't the Administration teleport them there?"

Grabbing a few other Maverick parts, Vel clapped his hands together and slid his feet into a pair of roller blades. "I don't know, I could really care less right now. How about you shift into treads, and we get the hell outta here? We can disable that piece of sht and bring it back with us."

"Switch to treads… switch to treads… Got it…" JD said, his Maverick gaining a few inches in height. Together, the two began racing through the city, JD in front, Vel behind, both blasting away at any Maverick that took notice of them. Unfortunately, that turned out to be just about every Maverick that saw them.

Soon, every Maverick in the city began marching in on their positions. They now knew that the huge robot in front was not one of them, and had to be taken out at all costs.

"JD! Get behind me!" Vel yelled out suddenly.

"What?"

"Just do it!" he screamed. Not waiting for him to even react, he clapped both hands and slammed them into the building beside him. Below them, a pillar of glass and metal began to shoot out of the ground, rocketing them upward. Moving one hand from the building, he slammed it onto the pillar, keeping it going. He didn't say a word as his gloved hand that was on the building began to smoke from the friction. He just kept the pillar rising.

The Mavericks fired at the pillar as it rose, hoping to hit one of its riders but missing all. A few fliers began to rise, just as Vel turned to JD and yelled, "Get out of the damned thing and fly us the hell outta here!"

JD nodded, marching the Maverick off of the pillar before flying out of it and grabbing Vel. "Here we go!" he yelled, going intangible, just as time stopped.

Rising on platform, Mattiks looked at the duo that had run into his army of Mavericks. He snickered at the sight of Vel. "So… another one hopeless one within the Resistance…" He put his hand through their intangible face, looking at them with false interest.

"I suppose…. I could let you two go… for now…" he said, letting time flow once more.

JD flew right through FlashMan. Vel looked behind him in shock. Just before they teleported out of there, he heard FlashMan shout, "You owe me one!"

--

The two landed inside the teleporter in a jumble, both of them falling to the floor. They both stood, and ran out of the room, calling Jin's name. They needed to talk to him, and now.

As soon as they exited the Control Room, they just about ran into Jin and the others who were just leaving Kazuma's room. All at once they both yelled, "What the hell was that all about?!"

Jin and the others blinked and starred at the two. "….What do you mean?" Jin asked blankly.

Vel and JD looked at each other blankly, before Vel shouted indignity, "What the hell do you mean, what do I mean? Haven't you been watching like you always do? You almost got us killed down there! You sent us to a city full of god damned Mavericks! We almost got our heads blasted off!"

Kazuma and Vergil crossed their arms and looked at Jin with evident disdain. "Is there anything else that you've kept from us? Anything you'd like to say?" Vergil asked, annoyed.

Jin made a weird sound before turning back to Vel. "We had a… heart-to-heart that took me away from the monitors. Why didn't you just warp back here?"

"Because you said they might be able to track us!" JD shouted.

All eyes turned towards Jin. He said nothing, but shook his head. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm trying to do what's best for everyone! It's not my fault I don't have a buffer anymore for this stuff! You guys just now got the balls to start arguing with me. From now on, we'll work more closely, okay?"

Vel looked at him skeptically as JD said, "Look, all I wanna know is what the hell Mattiks and hundreds of Mavericks were doing marching through a city, shooting every thing in sight!"

This made Miguel blink. "Wait… they were marching through a city? Like, their target wasn't the city itself?"

JD shook his head. "It looked like… they were chasing something.

Kazuma, Vergil, and Jin all looked at each other and said a single word. "DS."

--

As soon as the Mechanic was finished, JC closed the plate on his chest and locked it shut with his own energy signal. Grabbing his black shirt, he slipped it back on, and nodded to the Mechanic. "You might want to step back." He said as he placed a hand on the wall, "this might be a bit dangerous."

The Mechanic took as hasty step back as JC shot a ball of energy into the wall, and began to force it down the hall. Every time it neared an electronic device, the device exploded off of the wall. Door locks, panels, everything began to explode as the ball flew down the hallway.

It was a ball of energy that had the opposite charge as the EMP. As soon as it touched it… it would be knocked out.

"Get down." He told the Mechanic, who ducked. As the ball of energy touched the EMP, an explosion rattled throughout the hall, arcs of electricity racing along the walls, frying anything, including people, who were close enough to be caught.

The electricity raced down the halls, back into JC's hand. He could not help but wince as the feedback began to flow into him.

Before it could even get done, Dark Chaos stood behind him, fuming. "What the hell? I told you to get rid of it, not blow up half the damned detention center!"

Without looking behind him, JC shrugged, still wincing. "You said get rid of it. This was the least destructive way to destroy it. I could have taken out half the complex if you'd prefer that."

Dark Chaos said nothing but his anger was evident. "You mean to tell me… that Blues has acquired that much power?"

JC shrugged. "It looks that way, doesn't it?"

"How the hell did he get like this!? We had him on lock up! Half of his memory was under self-inflicted lock down!" Dark Chaos shouted.

Behind him, the Mechanic rose to his feet. "I can answer that…" a robotic voice answered from behind the mask all Mechanics of that rank had to wear.

Dark Chaos turned on him and glared. "Well? What the hell happened?"

The Mechanic looked him in the eye and said, "Exactly what was ordered. We gave him the Zero upgrade."

Remember, review!

I know this chapter was lacking... It also has a few things that might not make sense right now, but they will if you keep with it.


	16. Preperations

Shaking his head, FlashMan sighed

Shaking his head, FlashMan sighed. It had been three days since he had created the time freeze, and his energy for supporting it was almost at his limit. Within a few more minutes, the field would fall, and the world would once more begin spinning.

And it seemed that he was still nowhere close to finding Blues.

He turned to stare down at the thousands of Mavericks that were following him. It was their fault that he had not been able to find Blues. They had slowed him down so much that what would have been a few hours travel for him turned into an entire day. If it weren't for them, he would have found him, and been able to bring him back with no difficulty.

As it stood now, he would have to teleport back to the Garage and refuel. And of course, the Administration would be on his ass about not being able to find the rouge within the allotted time.

Mattiks rolled his eyes as he pulled out his blaster from under his coat. The politics of the Administration were something to laugh at. Yet they were who he served. They were the ones who had established order in a realm of complete and utter chaos.

But damn, could they be stupid!

Looking out upon the Mavericks, he shook his head once more. They were mindless machines that simply followed their programming. They could not learn, or think any other way but in a linear pattern, which led to the destruction of many, much more then was needed.

They disgusted him. And he showed tem his displeasure by shooting at them from his perch, twenty stories high. The Mavericks did nothing as the energy cut through them. Disgusted, Mattiks tucked his gun underneath his shirt once more, and touched the button on his collar.

Around him suddenly spawned a bright, blue light that enveloped him completely. There was a slight tingling in his limbs as it faded, and he was in front of the old, familiar door that led to the Garage.

He was not the only one there, however. Behind him, he could hear the voices of two others, one cold, calm and mechanic, the other loud and human. Mattiks sighed once more. He really did not want to deal with this kind of thing yet.

Yet his wish did nothing to the pair of voices, except make the cold one, the one who was obvious a Mechanic, say that one of the Masters had arrived. The other voice chuckled as the footsteps increased in tempo.

Farther down the hallway, Dark Chaos, a lone Mechanic, and JC Denton appeared, the latter looking as if he'd rather be any place other then where he was.

Without waiting for the Admin to say a word, Mattiks bowed slightly and said, "My time field failed before we could find the location of the rouge. I apologize."

Dark Chaos waved his hand, as if shrugging the news off. "It has just been brought to my attention…" He said, giving the Mechanic a cold look, "that Blues had received an 'upgrade' while he was in the detention block. One that lets him escape your time field as if it was never there."

Mattiks stood up immediately and looked him in the eye. "You mean to tell me…" he started, sputtering, "That the last three of my days were a waste?"

Dark Chaos scowled. "Now, now FlashMan…" he said, his red eyes gleaming, "I wouldn't use that tone around an Admin… you might go to pieces…" He gestured to the Mechanic, JC, and Mattiks to follow him into the Garage.

"Now, as the Mechanic was saying…" Dark Chaos said, letting the Mechanic take the lead.

Nodding, the Mechanic said, "While the subject was in the detention center, I was ordered to equip the subject with an… upgrade of sorts. It was supposed to come in two parts. One part software, the second, hardware." The Mechanic moved in front of a computer consol and began to pull up the schematics of the upgrade. In a few moments, lines of text and the silhouette of a figure appeared on screen.

"The software was supposed to erase any memory the subject had up to the point of the download. As a precaution, and to let our own men try to extract the data the subject had stored before coming to the Administration, I copied the data on a disk."

JC held out a hand, stopping the Mechanic. "Wait… if you erased all this pervious data, why was he shouting that he remembered?"

The Mechanic shrugged. "There are two things. All the data was successfully wiped from his hard drive. But, one must remember that he is both half man and half machine. Since coming to the Administration, he has not shown his human side, unlike FlashMan and yourself. However, unlike you, when he turns back to his human side, all of his mechanical systems are supposed to shut down, so that he is truly human. This means that, even though his memory was wiped as ProtoMan, Blues himself may truly remember everything. Or, it could simply be that his robotic side created false memories."

Dark Chaos waved a hand once more. "Enough about things we can only conjecture about… what powers does this… thing have now?1'

The Mechanic, looking through his white and orange mask, met Dark Chaos' eyes. "He is not a thing. He currently surpasses all Robot Masters. He is faster, stronger, and more powerful then ever before. He also now has almost nothing to hold his power back. It was the hope of the Head that he would become the ultimate Master. However, we have seen what has happened. There is one positive though. The subject escaped before the new armor could be placed on him. His body cannot handle the new power ups, and cannot use them to his maximum potential. As a result, he is now only as strong as the one we were using for his prototype."

JC and Mattiks shot each other a glance. There was another Master out there that they had not met? One that was more powerful then either of them?

Dark Chaos looked at the Mechanic, his face darkening. "You mean to tell me… that project 000 has been released?"

The Mechanic nodded. "It is currently tracking ProtoMan down as we speak. It too, was able to escape the time field created by FlashMan and move on undetected."

Mattiks eyes widened. There was another one who could undermine his power? What the hell good was his upgrade if there were already two who could run around unaffected?

Dark Chaos shook his head. "Mechanic, you are to track 000's movements exclusively! And when it finds the target… You are to teleport there immediately and disable him. Do you understand?"

The Mechanic bowed. "As you have said, it will be done."

Dark Chaos then turned to JC. "ElecMan, I want you to study the disk that the Mechanic recovered from Blues. You have the most sophisticated euipment for handling encoding of that caliber. You are to get to work immediately."

Dark Chaos turned to Mattiks as the Mechanic handed the disk to JC. "You are to give me a report of anything you had found while out there."

Mattiks nodded, "There is one thing I would like to say now however…" Dark Chaos nodded. "I think I have found a way to find where the rebels are hiding."

Dark Chaos grinned as he led Mattiks deeper into the complex to hear his planm.

--

"…and that is what happened…" Jin said, running a hand over his darkened face.

The group sat before him in silence. Finally, JD spoke, "So… we forget about this DS guy and just go on?" he asked.

Jin shrugged. "That's up to all of us. DS is basically out of the picture. No one knows where he is, or what he's doing, or if he's even still sane. We can try and find him, sit here and defend… or attack Administrative Headquarters."

Kazuma gasped. "Wait, aren't you the one who always said that we needed to be patient? To wait our turn?"

Nodding, Jin said, "This is our turn. The Administration's reeling from what DS did. Whether he knows it or not, DS helped us in a huge way. Right now, they're funneling workers to repair their flank. If we wait until they are halfway done with repairs, and attack from the opposite side… Most of their men should be occupied, and they wouldn't expect us to attack from that side, if at all."

Mig stood from the chairs that all of the Underground were sitting in. "But… are we actually strong enough to face them and win? Remember, we got our asses handed to us by JC. And from your surveillance from when our base was attacked… there is at least seven more like him."

Vergil, who was leaning back lazily in his chair, added, "You worry too much. We just have to train. How long will the repairs take Jin?"

"With their tech… maybe two days until they're halfway through." Jin replied.

"See? Simple. We all take turns training in the portal, and come out that much stronger. We beat three of them before, and we weren't near as strong."

The group nodded. Jin stood once more and said, "I think tat I will be able to make a spell that can fry the circuitry in most of the machines that we encounter. Then, all we'll have to worry about is the Admins themselves. So… Should we attack?"

Everyone nodded, even Kazuma, who was a bit hesitant.

Jin nodded. "Then its settled. In two days, we attack the Administration and bring the peace back."

* * *

God... this one was short...


	17. Don't Fear the Reaper

The barren landscape flew by as if a blurred oil painting

The barren landscape flew by as if a blurred oil painting. Only the decreasing size of mountains and the few, charred trees were even seen as his heart began to pound in his ears.

Mind racing, he did not stop running. He could not stop. There was someone he had to see. Someone who had been waiting for him for a long time. And, as he had learned previously, it was very bad manners to keep anyone waiting as long as he had.

Something inside his visor began to beep in his ears with a terrible tenacity. He smiled. Touching his the side of his head, a small, blue reticule appeared in his vision. The reticule was centered on a single figure somewhere off to the side. Skidding to a stop, he grinned. He was getting much closer now.

Walking now, he touched the side off a small mountain. It was one that rose at an almost ninety degree angle straight up, before gradually softening its angle. In its side, almost hidden by toppled boulders and burnt shrubbery was an indention. It was just wide enough for a man to squeeze through. Running his hand across the rocky side, the jagged edges, not yet smoothed by the elements, cutting into his hands. He didn't care. Let the land taste his blood. Soon, it would taste so much more of the sweet, red liquid. It needed to acquire the taste.

Stepping into the indentation, he let the sides tear through his clothing, into his skin. He did not even notice. Only the reticule held his attention. Only that existed.

Walking through the underground, he pushed himself through the growing darkness. Neither a torch, nor a light did he have on him. He did not, however, collide with any of the upcoming obstacles. He simply walked straight, his goal growing closer and closer.

The darkness soon grew to an absolute. It was here, on the threshold of darkness itself, where not even the strange, mutated creatures could put off a glow, that he stopped. He said nothing, just touched the side of his head, the reticule now directly in front of him. Down this deep, senses seemed to die. There was no sound. Even the dripping of water from the cavern ceiling seemed to cease.

One sound, the sound of footsteps, rang true. Yet these footsteps, which could only belong to another human, did not echo. It seemed that here, this cavern, was truly the realm of the dead.

Without warning, the footsteps stopped. A voice, warm, yet cold as steel, spoke, "It is so good of you to finally appear. I have been waiting for you, my brother." The voice, like the footsteps, did not echo.

The reticule was centered on the figure that had spoken. He grinned. He had finally found his mark. "I apologize for being late…" he said, gripping a handle at his side, "but I have had… other matters to attend to."

"Now, I must simply ask one thing from you…. Have you come for good, or for ill?"

His grin widened as he drew the sword, the steel cold in his bloodied hands. "Why don't I let you figure that out for yourself?" he asked, charging at the figure encircled by the reticule.

Before he knew it, the reticule had moved, as fast as lightning, behind him. "You will have to be much faster then that to even hope to strike me."

Turning the sword in his palms, he grinned. There were no telling what would happen during this ill gotten visit. And that was exactly how he liked it.

Charging once more, he brought the sword to his side, almost letting the tip of it slide across the ground. The reticule began to move again. "I told you, you will have to be fast-umph!"

The reticule was on the cavern floor now, after colliding with the butt of a second sword, hidden against the first. "And I should have told you, there's a lot more to me then meets the eye."

"As should I."

His grin slid off his face as something collided with his face. He let himself fall, the only part of him tensing were his hands, only to keep a hold of his weapons.

"Anything lost here will never be regained. Anything forgotten here can never be remembered. Anything given up here has no chance of ever being returned. Boy, are you sure you wish to do this?"

Pushing himself to his feet, he licked the small trickle of blood above his lip. "I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life!" he yelled, charging again.

"So be it."

He did not charge directly at the reticule, but instead ran adjacent to him, hugging one of the walls of the cavern. The reticule jumped towards him just as he turned his back to it, and stepped onto the wall. Letting his momentum carry him, he ran as far as he could. Feeling himself about to fall back, he pushed with all his might, flipping off the wall and over the reticule.

Landing behind it, he slashes with both of his blades. Each, however, struck something and groaned in protest.

"You have come to my domain, where I greet you with nothing but courtesy. And you attack. It has been told that you would enter here. By doing this… you have damned the world, and yourself. Stop this madness! You can still save it all!"

Putting pressure on his blades, he leaned in. "If killing you damns me, that damned I will be. And glad."

Leaping back, the reticule began to distance itself from him. "You cannot kill me. Not you alone. This is my domain. You have entered the land of death to kill the reaper. You will be the one lost, not I."

Turning the blades in his hands, he laughed. "The one who has orchestrated everything seeks to tell me that the path I tread is nothing but foolish? The path that you have put me on?"

"You know, as well as I, that what has happened was destiny. So has it been written, so it shall be. For the greater good of all mankind."

"Good of mankind? Those murderous traitors? You have sent me on a path to oblivion, to save them! A people who cannot, will not fight! If they deserve life, let them stand for themselves!"

"You know as well as I that they cannot stand. They would be crushed by the powers at work."

"Then let them be crushed! I've given everything I can. Mankind needs a hero. Can't you see? There are no heroes left in man!"

"That is why you were brought to them. That is why you were set on this path."

"If I am the barrier that will shield them from damnation, then damned they will be!" he shouted, charging at the retreating reticule.

Again, his blades collided with another object, keeping him from his mark. Raising his booted foot, he slammed it into his mark, causing it to stagger backwards. Hooking the blades of his swords together, he swung at it, the hilt of the other sword slamming once more into his mark, causing it to grunt.

The reticule disappeared once more, only to reappear farther away from him, closer to the edge of the darkness.

Running, he gripped both hilts in his hands, and swung, one low and one high. Both were blocked, this time by something that vibrated as it was struck, almost like metal.

"Brother… you must stop this!"

Bringing both blades back, he began to hammer at the reticule with his blades, each time slamming into whatever it was that was keeping them from the mark. "I will not! You will be lost!"

"So determined are you… Your rage gives you strength. Much more then I have. But… I will not be lost. I cannot!"

Both his blades were suddenly pushed back, flying out of his hands. Something grabbed the front of his clothing.

Suddenly, light flooded his eyes, causing him to reel backwards. Before his eyes could adjust, he felt a circular object pressed into his back. He snarled, wanting to move, knowing he could not.

"You have come to fight against the reaper, who has so graciously brought you back to the land of the living. You cannot fight against the one who has set you on your path. Not win, in any case."

"A charlatan reaper. That is all you are. You have walked away from your place and used someone else to do what you would not! Or… is it simply that you could not?" he asked.

The object was placed deeper into his back. "I can do everything you can, and better. It was simply your path, not my own."

He grinned. "Really now? That doesn't sound like you… you've changed in that darkness… become weak. You've lost your edge. And, remember what you said about what was lost."

"Shut it. Like you know anything."

"Quite the contrary… I know everything now."

Suddenly, he was facing the mark. Both had the barrels of their guns raised, pointing at their opposite's head. Both barely breathed, for fear of causing the other to fire first, each one's barrel glowing as the shots charged.

"So… it comes down to this."

"As if it could end any other?"

"Mankind truly is damned."

"Like I care."

"You used to, Blues."

Blues took a step closer, the base of his buster touching his mark's blue helmet. "Yeah, you're right. But, that was only until you screwed me over, Rockanomix."

A bright, yellow light filled the land. And all was silent.

* * *

Who saw that one coming? Show of hands!


	18. A New Challenger Approaches

Lying in his cot, staring at the ceiling, Miguel turned the silver octagon in his hands

Lying in his cot, staring at the ceiling, Miguel turned the silver hexagon in his hands. Almost absentmindedly, he ran his fingers over the engraving on it, LXXVII. Buso Renkin, series seventy-seven. He had no idea if that had any meaning, but…

Today was the day of the battle. It was finally time to strike back out towards the Administration. In a few hours, they would see if they're plan would work. At least this time, they wouldn't have to fight DS.

Suddenly, the ship rocked violently, all of the lights turning into a deep crimson. "What the hell?!" Miguel shouted, falling out of his cot. Climbing to his feet, he ran out of his room, into the halls, struggling to stand amidst the rocking base/

"Jin!" he shouted, trying to get to the Control Room, "what the hell is going on?" Hearing no answer, Miguel allowed himself to fall as the ship rocked again, sliding down the hall towards the Control Room quicker then he could run. Popping to his feet, he slammed on the button to open the door, and ran inside.

All of the monitors were blinking rapidly; all of the camera screens were blank. Jin, Vel, and Kazuma were running through the room, a look of near desperation on their faces. "What the fck is going on?!" Miguel shouted again over the screams of alarms.

"What the hell does it look like?" Vel shouted, pointing to one of the monitors, "We're under attack!"

Miguel just stared blankly. How could they possible be under attack? Before he could ask, Jin shouted, "Vel! Raise the shields to maximum! Disable all power to the Gate and anything we don't need! They're only firing with energy; so make sure that's what the shields are set to! If they wanna fight, we'll make them come to us!"

At once, most of the alarms and the rocking stopped. Jin sighed. "We've bought ourselves some time. As far as I know, they don't have traditional ballistic weapons, so they'll send their men up here to fight us. Kazuma, open the top hatch. We'll meet them up there."

Hitting one of the consoles, Kazuma nodded. "Mig, get Vergil and J-"

"We're already here." Vergil said, fingering the handle of Alasator. JD was behind him, floating a few feet off of the ground.

Turning to run, Miguel exited the room, and jumped towards the opening now in the middle of the hallway to the Control Room. He landed on a platform of ice, his katars now on his arms, and jumped through the opening.

Landing on the ship, Miguel couldn't help but stare. All around him were ships. They were all hovering around the ship, their cannons pointed at them. He heard a few of his teammates gasp as they saw what they were facing.

"Hey Jin…. Looks like they had your idea." Miguel said, pointing to the Mavericks that were launching out of the ship.

Flying up to meet them, JD laughed. "Don't they ever learn?" When he tried to enter one of them, a strong surge of electricity slammed into him, making him fall back onto the ship with a solid Ithud/I.

Vel laughed. "Guess they do." His laugh was cut short however as a bolt struck him, knocking him out and flinging him back into the ship.

A ring of Mavericks, floating by propulsion, now encircled their ship. Mig, like everyone else, couldn't help but wonder if all they were going to do was send Mavericks at them.

They soon learned the answer as something hit the ship hard. Grinning, JC stood, electricity surging across his body. "So… How's sis?"

Snarling, Kazuma began to charge her brother, before Vergil stepped in front of her. "Kazzy, no. I'll take him."

Eyes widening, Kazuma stared at him. "What the hell do you mean?! He's my brother, I'll…!"

Shaking his head, Vergil brought his sword in front of him. "You're emotions will get the best of you. Besides, I'm the best to do this… I'll do it for you, alright"

"But..!"

"You can yell at me later." Vergil said, electricity from his sword surging up his arms. To JC he said, "I think you and I have some unfinished business?"

Grinning, JC leapt into the air, an aura of electricity keeping him aloft. "Fine then, hero-boy. Let's see what you can do to me from down there! I'll kill both of you yet!"

Leaping into the air, two black batwings, trimmed in blue, erupted from Vergil's back, as electricity began to course throughout his body. Throwing his head back, his white hair growing, his muscles pulsed, growing larger. Slight horns and bluish-black skin began to coat his body, which was growing larger as his muscles expanded. Soon he resembled more of a demon, his sword gone. He smirked, before his wings flashed, and he went flying towards JC.

The two slammed into each other, and disappeared in a flash of light. They reappeared outside of the shield, before slamming into each other once more, disappearing in another flash of light. Below, Kazuma looked on them, trying to figure out where they would show up next. She knew why he didn't want her facing her brother. There was no way she would be able to keep up with him.

Mavericks began to fall onto their ship, these ones with one glowing eye and a large shield raised in front of them. The fell on the opposite end of the ship, and began to march towards the small group of rebels.

Two other figures caught Miguel's eyes however. A man enveloped in fire, another standing on a small, floating platform of ice. They looked down at Miguel with contempt. "So…" the one surrounded by flames spoke, fire escaping from his mouth, "this is the man who is supposed to rival us? He doesn't look like much, does he?"

The one standing on a platform of ice laughed, holding onto his stomach. "They really expect us to believe this guy can do anything? Hell bro, I can take him myself!"

Miguel looked up at the two men with a scowl. "Come down here and tell that to my face!"

Both of the figures doubled over with laugher. "You can't even fly yet? You aren't worth our time. We'll let the Mavericks rip you apart."

Snarling, Miguel shot a ball of flame at the ice figure. Before it could get near its target, it curved, and was absorbed by the man covered in flames, who then laughed. "If that's the best you got, my superiors insult me, and highly overestimate you. They sent not one, but Itwo/I Robot Masters to kill you? You should feel honored boy."

Staring at the two, Miguel said, "You both… are Masters?"

The figure standing on ice laughed. "You're a slow one, aren't you? I'm IceMan, and this is my brother, FireMan. We'll be your personal executioners for the day."

"Only if you can pass a little test though" FireMan said.

"….What the hell do you mean?" Miguel asked.

"Catch us." FireMan said simply, before him and his brother turned and started to fly back towards the ships.

Snarling, Miguel leapt off of the ship, and grabbed a hold of one of the Mavericks making a ring around the ship. As soon as he landed, he leapt to another, making his way slowly toward the two Robot Masters.

Jin, still on top of the ship, saw Miguel chasing the Robot Masters and screamed at him, "You idiot! What the fck do you think you're doing? !" But his cry went unheard, as the Mavericks on the ship shot, forcing Jin to fall to his stomach to avoid getting hit.

Shots flew back over him as he pushed himself up, forcing him to fling himself back down. Looking behind him, he saw Kazuma, Lightsaber drawn in front of her. However, none of the reflected shots penetrated the Maverick's shields.

Scowling, Kazuma ran head on at the group of Mavericks, jumping into the air as she neared them. Over top of the middle of the group, she flipped, before falling, thrusting her Lightsaber directly below her, impaling one of the Mavericks through the head. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she spun, cutting five Mavericks in half. Their tops slid off as she jumped back into the air, forcing herself out of the group as both halves of the Mavericks exploded, taking out the next in line to them.

"Hey, JD!" She shouted over the explosions, "See if you can take over any of those ships!"

Unlike Miguel, as soon as JD tried to escape the ring of Mavericks, he was instantly electrocuted again. Falling, he slammed onto the top of the airship. "I need someone to take out that damned ring!"

Jin, pushing himself to his feet, grinned. "Leave it to me…" He said, as directly above him, the sky darkened. A huge bolt of lighting crashed, slamming into the ring of Mavericks, taking about half of the ring out in a single explosion of shrapnel.

Not even waiting for the metal to fall, JD flew through the dark cloud, his arms covering his face as he went intangible. Immediately, he flew into the nearest ship. Within a few seconds, there was an explosion at the rear of the ship he had entered, then one at the side, before the cockpit exploded, to men flying out of it, falling to the ground. The entire ship exploded as JD was seen flying out of it to the next one.

Running across the top of their ship, Kazuma jumped, pointing with her saber to another ship. "Jin! While they're occupied!"

She landed, slashing through a just landing Maverick as Jin's eyes glowed. Another bolt of lightning came thundering from the sky, striking an enemy ship. Smoke spewing from its tail section, the ship began to go into a tailspin before striking another ship, causing a giant rip in its side.

There was a flash of blue before electricity surged through that ship, causing it to implode. Shrapnel flew through the air, imbedding itself in friend and foe alike. Large pieces of shrapnel imbedded themselves into the Resistance's ship, a few even taking out some of the Mavericks on top of the ship.

Swinging her saber again, Kazuma was thrown back as a bright burst of blue exploded in front of her, sending her flying back into Jin. They landed in a pile near the rear of the ship as JC and Vergil stood in the center of the ship, a long, slender sword in JC's hands. Flexing his hands, long nails, each one coursing with electricity slid out from Vergil's fingers.

As the two rushed each other, everything else seemed to slow. Even the wind, in a mad gust, seemed to stop. The two slammed into each other, JC swinging his sword at Vergil with Vergil blocking with one hand. Lightning exploded from the meeting as the two leapt away from each other and into the air.

JC ran across the brow of one of the Administration's airships, Vergil close behind him. The Master leapt into the air, turned, and launched a sphere of energy at his pursuer. Leaping from the ship, Vergil spun, the sphere slamming into the airship behind him, causing it to go onto a collision course with yet another. Scowling, JC disappeared.

Turning, Vergil punched the air right in front of JC. Immediately, JC and Vergil began to exchange blows so quickly that they couldn't even be seen. Turning, Vergil kicked, slamming JC in the side of the head, causing him to fly back through a line of ships in quick succession. As soon as his momentum slowed, Vergil was behind him, and with two fists raised above his head, slammed down on JC, sending him flailing towards the earth.

Flipping in mid air, JC stopped, glaring up at the demon floating above. His body began to shake, before he disappeared. Vergil's eyes widened as JC stabbed him in the back with his saber. Flying forward, Vergil snarled and turned, flinging out his hand. Thousand of hair length needles flew from his hand, flying into JC's face.

Bleeding from his side, Vergil landed on the top of one of the ships. Ripping the needles from his face, JC landed opposite of him. "You bastard…" he snarled, shooting another ball of electricity at him.

Vergil deflected the blast with a flap of his wings, sending it spiraling out of control and towards the Resistance's ship. It buzzed right over Vel's head as he climbed out of the hatch, causing him to lay flat.

The top of the ship was covered in Mavericks. Kazuma was taking a few of them out, but more and bigger types continued to surround her as sweat poured down her face. She was becoming tired, defending their ship while directing the offensive.

Clapping his hands together, Vel placed his hands on the roof of the ship, before a bright, blue light surrounded him. He stood, a sword with a chainsaw blade rotating around it in his hands. He charged the Mavericks, cutting a path through them towards Kazuma.

Leaping over the last line of evil machines, he turned, slashing through the nearest robot. "Kazuma!" he shouted over the roar of machine guns, "Concentrate on directing the offensive!"

Using the force to push a few Mavericks off the top of their ship, she looked at him worriedly. "What about the Mavericks on the ship?"

Grinning, Vel clapped his hands again and touched the top of the ship. "You leave that to me." He said, as the top of the ship seemed to leap into the air, sending a shockwave down its length, sending the Mavericks before him flying.

More ships burst into flames or were destroyed from lightning above, sending shrapnel and flames raining down near and on the Resistance ship, almost hitting Jin, Kazuma, and Vel. Some of these flames were not from the exploding ships however, but from Fireman.

Still clinging to one of the flying Mavericks, Miguel flew closer towards the floating forms of Fireman and Iceman. The back panel of the Maverick open, Miguel clutched in his hands wires, using them to control the movements of the robot. The Robot Masters grinned at his ingenuity. "He's not too strong… but at least he has ideas." Iceman said, shrugging.

Fireman grinned, a blazing ball forming in his hand. "Yeah… but it wasn't too smart to follow us up here, now was it?" He said, throwing the ball at Miguel.

"Sht!" Miguel shouted, pulling on the wires to avoid the blast. The Maverick spun wildly, almost sending Miguel flying off of it. But, he avoided the blast and stayed in the air.

Iceman grinned. "Face it! You can't beat us as you are!"

Shaking his head, Fireman turned his back on the human. "This isn't worth my time. Come back to us when you at least pose a challenge. There's a few of us in the Administration who don't like crushing ants."

The two Robot Masters flew away from Miguel, more flying Mavericks taking their place. "What the hell? Get back here!" Miguel shouted, "I'm not done with you yet!"

A sound pierced the air, stunning everything that heard it. A bell rang the air, and even the Mavericks stopped moving, before they began to retreat.

Looking into the air, Vel asked, "What the hell is going on…?"

Below, JC laughed. "You guys are going to get it now! I'm sorry I couldn't get the final blow on you batboy, or my brat of a sister… but I hope you guys enjoy the last few moments of life." He disappeared in a beam of light, just as Vergil charged at him.

Even the ships began to back up from the Resistance ship as its members once again landed on its top. The members looked around confused, as a blue figure appeared in front of them, its back to them.

"Get out of here!" it shouted, raising a large, red shield in front of it.

Eyeing him warily, Kazuma yelled, "Why the hell should we listen to you?"

Turning to look at them, Rockanomix said, "Unless you want to suffer the same fate as DS, get out now!"

"What happened to him!?" Kazuma demanded.

Turning his back on her, he said simply, "he's dead."

* * *

Wooo... Rockanomix? That guy? Wasn't he... you know... dead?


	19. Rock Man

Refusing to leave the top of the ship, the Resistance stared at the man they previously believed to be dead

Refusing to leave the top of the ship, the Resistance stared at the man they previously believed to be dead. There was complete silence as even the Administration's ships ceased their shelling.

The silence was broken as another shell exploded near the hull, rocking the ship, knocking one of the Resistance members off of their feet. Miguel leapt forward, and grabbing Jin's hands, hoisted him back from the edge of the ship.

"Get out of here, now!" Rockanomix repeated, the buster on his right hand glowing.

Kazuma broke from the group, yelling, "Not until you tell us what happened!"

Turning, his face full of rage, Rockanomix let his charged shot off at her feet. "Get out of here, or II'll/I be the one to kill you! Their Master won't have a shot at you!" He began to charge his buster once more, training it at Kazuma

"Let us know, you bstard!" She yelled again, running at him. Vergil broke from the group, grabbing her at the waist.

"Let's just get out of here," he said, pulling her back to the group.

She struggled against his grip, trying to get away as fast as she could. "but…!"

Jin muttered something under his breath, right before Kazuma fell to a slump, unconscious. Vergil turned to look at him, still holding onto her. Jin shrugged. "We don't have time for this," he turned to address Rockanomix. "I trust you'll explain this all once you are finished?"

Rockanomix nodded. "Now, leave before more join DS… you are not in this Master's league…"

Nodding, Jin ushered the Resistance forces into the ship as Rockanomix jumped off of its top and began to hover in the air. The ship behind him immediately sprang to life, and with a tremendous roar tore away from the Administration's fleet, leaving Rockanomix alone.

The Administration ship even began to move back, slowly at first, then with increasing speed. All the while, Rockanomix stared straight ahead, the red shield still in front of him. A man, dressed in light blue and white, almost to the point of blending in with the sky, stood in front of him, applauding.

"That was a beautiful performance if I do say so myself. Just beautiful," the man said, moving his hand as if to wipe away a tear. "'Get out of here or I'll kill you myself!' IReally/I Rock, I didn't think you had it in you to be so cruel to your friends!"

Snarling, Rockanomix pointed his buster at the man. "If I can be that cruel to friends…" he grinned, his teeth showing, "just think how much trouble Iyou're/I in…"

The man just shrugged, shaking his head while a strange smile grew on his face. "You said it yourself though… I'm much more powerful than all of the Robot Master's they've faced… if only for one simple reason that I think you've overlooked…"

Rockanomix's eyes narrowed. "And what exactly would that be?"

The man shook his finger. "You know I'm AirMan, yet you still float in the very medium I control…" His shoulders slumped. "You know, I expect more from you, Robot Master 002. Right now, you can't even move…"

Rockanomix went to shake his head, but found that he could not. His eyes widened in surprise. "You… you aren't supposed to have that much power…"

AirMan smiled once more. "Oh, I'm usually not. So… the question is… why am I?" He smirked. "I'm not telling… but, how about this… I won't freeze you in place! We'll have a nice little sparring session to see what you've learned… before you die! It sounds fun doesn't it?"

Before he could even answer, Rockanomix found he could move once more. And as soon as he could, a foot slammed into his shield, knocking him backwards. Glaring at AirMan, he let his powershot loose. Before it could travel even a few feet, it halted completely.

Floating next to the shot, Airman wagged his finger. "Now, come on Rockman… you can do better than that. Don't make me regret this as a waste of time."

Without a word, Rockanomix fired a barrage of shots at the Robot Master. The Master himself stood still, as Rockanomix flew around him, still firing shots. After a few moments, he stopped. Instead of the shots hitting AirMan, they all stopped just short of touching him.

Waving his hand to create a small wind, AirMan moved the shots away from him. He looked at Rockanomix, a small frown on his face. "Come now Rockman… I know you aren't the brightest out of the Masters… but you should figure it out by now."

Grinding his teeth together, Rockanomix's buster disappeared to be replaced with his right hand. AirMan grinned with delight.

"See? That wasn't so difficult… I had said I would not freeze you… I said nothing about your buster shots. And you learned! Only after using a bit of energy, but still… I knew you'd figure it out! You are, after all, one of-"

He was cut off as Rockanomix punched him in the throat. AirMan fell backwards a bit, both of his hands clutching his throat. Gesturing with the shield, he shook his head. "You talk too much, you know that?"

Snarling, AirMan kicked out at Rochanomix, a blast of air radiating from it. Raising his shield, it was blocked. Refusing to give in, AirMan kicked once more, before following up with a barrage of movement, each creating a strong blast of wind than the one before. Each hit off of the upraised shield, and simply pushed it back slightly. All the while, something whined.

Panting slightly, AirMan croaked out, "What… what is that thing?!"

Emerging from behind it, Rockanomix grinned. "A shield. What's it look like?"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!" AirMan shrieked, his voice horse sounding because of the strike to the throat. "It was not in your specs! I know everything you are capable of! That shield was not mentioned once!"

Grinning, Rockanomix shrugged. "Well, of course it wouldn't be… After all, its not mine."

Shrieking, AirMan charged at him, two blades appearing in his hands. The swords slammed into the shield repeatedly. Behind it, Rockanomix grinned. "You know… there's something to be said about rage…" He pushed the shield forward, slamming AirMan in gut.

Clutching his stomach, AirMan's mouth moved silently. "It makes you act recklessly. Something my friend never figured out." Rockanomix said, before his hand turned into his buster once more. Aiming to his left, he charged his buster. "While you're down there… I think I'll even the playing field."

His powershot flew through the air, slamming into a small ship that had been floating a little ways off. The shot tore through the vehicle, causing it to drop from the air. The small cord that led from the ship to AirMan went down with it.

Eyes full of hate, AirMan snarled, "how… how did you figure that out? I had masked it… you couldn't have seen it! You don't have that ability!"

"You know… I'm only half machine, smart-ass. The other half is human, and can reason just like anyone else. You pulled too much power from it, it generated a sound." Rockanomix said with a shrug.

"That's it! I'll freeze you in your place! You won't be able to get away from me! You'll die without the power to stop me!" AirMan shrieked.

"Oh shi-" Rockanomix said, his rising buster freezing in place.

AirMan threw his head back and laughed. "So you didn't learn anything after you fled from us! Ran away like the dog you are!" He came closer to Rockanomix, the ignoring the glow of the buster. He slapped him on the face. "Rockman… ah.. the one who got away. You know… there's a big reward for whoever brings you and Protoman in, right? Dead or alive will do. They don't care. All the Administration wants to do is find out that last little bug in your head… how you can either be all human or Master, not stuck as both." He put both of his hands on Rockanomix's face, "How to create a mind that does not have to fight each other… how to create the perfect union between flesh and robotics…"

AirMan laughed again. "I don't have to worry, as I'm all Robot. Created from scratch with no human flaws to worry about. That's why I'm the strongest. Unlike JC…" he grinned, "Why am I explaining this to you? You won't have to worry about it in a few moments anyways…"

Clutching his fist, a small blade of air formed. He ran it down Rockanomix's face, cutting a thin line into the exposed flesh. "Do you have any last words, my brother?"

Spitting in AirMan's face, Rockanomix showed his teeth. "Stop calling me one of you… I am not an agent of someone else's vendetta on humanity. I am in control of myself, not enslaved like you fools. You dance around as the puppet master pulls the strings. And you love the attention."

Pulling back to punch, AirMan shrieked, "Fine! Spurn everything that has ever been offered to you! The Administration would have given you everything if you simply bowed your head! But… if this is what you choose…" he grinned, "I'll be happy to give it to you!"

"…You seriously talk to much." Rockanomix said, the powershot launching from his blaster, slamming into AirMan's stomach. The Master shrieked in pain, folding over to protect himself. As sparks and blood began to fly from the hole in his center, he began to lose altitude quickly.

Catching the Robot Master on his shield, Rockanomix shook his head. "And you thought I was the stupid one… You spent so much time examining my specs, you forgot what you could do on your own… Thanks for making the job easier."

Grinning at AirMan one last time, he said, "Oh, you're not just a robot… if the blood hadn't tipped you off."

Dumping the crumpled figure off of his shield, Rockanomix shook his head. "If you see DS in hell, tell him hey for me."

--

A gloved hand picked up a shattered piece of metal. With a sigh, it was deposited in a large, leather cart.

The figure wiped sweat away from its forehead before picking up a small monitor and sweeping it over the ground. When it flashed "NEGATIVE", the figure placed it back into the small bag at its waist.

Things were getting out of hand… spiraling out of anyone's control. If it kept up at this pace, the Administration would fall… that much was obvious. But not by what the Administration was just beginning to fear. No… something much worse. Something that would destroy everything.

With a sigh, the figure reached down to the ground and picked up a curved, smooth piece of metal. Placing the mask on its face, the figure pressed a button on its waist, and after being enveloped in a blue light, disappeared.

* * *

Don't you love really odd people?

Remember, Review!


	20. DTYBOTCBO

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_The screen flickered to life as static enveloped the screen. It slowly faded, to reveal a glowing barrel taking up the center of the screen, the rest of the image obscured by the glow radiating from it._

_The light only brightened, as the barrel seemed to back away, only to be replaced by a large, yellow sphere. The entire screen flashed with light, before static overtook it once more._

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_Static once more filled the screen, before slowly fading away to darkness. There were flecks of light scattered throughout, which turned into single lines. The darkness was interrupted as the camera suddenly faced the center of a crater. Two hands pressed against the ground, coated in a dark liquid. Both hands clenched, causing more of the liquid to appear and drip onto into the crater, as the ground began to get farther away._

_Before the camera could right itself, a dark shape slammed into it, knocking it backwards. The star-studded darkness once more filled the camera, as whatever was holding it fell backwards. It struggled to right itself, before it was slammed into once more._

_Reeling backwards the camera caught the glow of another light. What should have been an arm appeared in the lower, right hand corner of the screen, the light radiating from its end. As the shadowed figure rushed the camera, the light flew from the arm, slamming into the figure, the color red appearing for a single instant, before being taken over by the yellow light._

_The figure flew backwards, slamming into a spire of rock. The camera seemed to rush forward, another glow appearing in the right hand corner of the screen. It swung upward, towards the figure's head, slamming into it, the light exploding into it at the same instant._

_The figure flew backwards, shattering the rock spire as it did so. The camera suddenly jumped backwards as pieces of the rock crashed down to earth where it had just been. A thick dust filled the air, making it almost impossible to see._

_When the dust settled, the camera moved rapidly, looking around the environment. Parts of the land blended together as it moved, the stars once more lines of light. It stopped, as the figure appeared, walking, its shoulders hunched, towards the camera._

_Another glow lit up the corner of the screen, before launching at the figure. This time, however, the figure disappeared from the center of the screen, for an instant, before being suddenly much closer. It continued to walk towards the screen, its head downcast._

_More spheres of light were launched in the direction of the red figure, but none of them even got near it. It would simply disappear for a moment, before reappearing a few meters away._

_Without warning, the figure looked up into the camera. What had once been a mask had been shattered on its left side, revealing a single, blue eye and a face streaked with a dark liquid. Parts of what looked like dark hair were pressed against his forehead. Part of the figure's mouth had been revealed, as bits of the lower portion of the mask fell away. His mouth moved as his eye narrowed._

_The man continued to speak, even as more spheres were launched at him. Most seemed to be launched wildly; a few the man did not even have to dodge. They just flew harmlessly past his body._

_Suddenly, the man's face filled the screen. His mouth moved slowly, as if to say something of vital importance. With only half of his face in view however, it was impossible to say what that was. Suddenly, the camera panned down. What was once blue was now red, stained as it was by a dark liquid. The fist of the man in red was pressing against the cameraman's chest. It slid away slowly, a bright, yellow blade following it. The camera scrolled back up to the man in red. _

_He turned his back on the camera, flicking his bladed arm out, the liquid flying off of it. The camera suddenly seemed to fall a few feet down as the cameraman fell to his knees. The camera looked down once more, at the hands now pressed against its chest. It drew them back, only to show them drenched in the liquid. It quickly panned back up, trying to find the man in red._

_The camera found him immediately. There was something different however; he was not alone. Standing above him was another figure, its form hidden under a cloak. It shot downwards, its cloak not reflecting its owner's movement._

_The man in red disappeared once more, reappearing a few steps ahead, his bladed arm swinging out where the cloaked form should be. It was not there however. Somehow, it had anticipated the man in red's movements, and instead ducked as it hit the ground, its leg flashing out from under the cloak, slamming into the man in red's. He buckled as it stuck him, falling to his knees._

_The cloaked figure was on its feet in an instant, an arm raised above its head. It slammed into the man in red's back with incredible force, knocking him to the ground, more of the dark liquid spraying out of his mouth and onto the ground. _

_In protest, the man in red raised one of his arms, its end now the barrel that had been shoved into the camera earlier. Light began to emerge from its tip, before the cloaked figure swung its own arm vertically into the man in red's, shattering it._

_The man in red's arm, now a stump, fell to the ground, more of the dark liquid flowing from it freely. The cloaked figure raised another arm, slamming it down into the man in red's, causing his body to bounce off of the ground._

_Without warning, the cloaked figure suddenly was in front of the camera. It looked down at it, its face hidden. All that could be seen were his eyes. They flashed as the figure raised its arm, swinging it down at the camera._

_Red suddenly enveloped the camera. This was not from the dark liquid however. The man in red suddenly collapsed in front of the camera. The figure kicked him out of the way, before looking back at the camera. It raised its hand again, and swung._

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_Static filled the screen, before fading to darkness. A masked figure looked down into the camera and shook its head. It moved to cover the beaten pieces of red metal behind it. A hand reached out to the camera, and touched something off to its side. Then, the camera faded to black._

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All right. And now we're up to speed. This chapter is actually part A of chapter 20. There will be two more parts to it, but they will be registered as chapter 21 and 22. Just know that they're all parts of the same chapter, so ignore the length. I just haven't typed them up yet.

And also, let me know what you think. Especially the way this chapter is set up. It was something compcoletly different.

Remember, review.


	21. Different Points of View

There was a question that, eventually, all who entered this field of work would ultimately ponder; what is life

There was a question that, eventually, all who entered this field of work would ultimately ponder; what is life? Is it simply the act of a single mind continuing to function? Is it the continuation of memories? Or is it something completely different?

Life is a mystery that these people either hold in their hands daily, prolonging it and preserving it. Or, if one is cynical, they are simply making a mockery of life. They are playing God, creating the sad illusion of life and becoming responsible for its actions. They must strive daily to keep it in order and to make sure it stays that way.

Those who see their work as simply a mockery of life do not last long. They cannot be allowed to quit, however. They are "retired" for life. That is to say, once they resign, none that knew them will be able to see them again. They simply disappear. Whether they are killed or simply relocated to somewhere else, no one seems to know. What is made clear is that they are never heard from again.

Those who do not define life this way come to face another question however. This is simply, what is man? This is not a simple question of the sexes, but what makes a human being what it is. What makes a human, human. This question, under this line of work, is something that is much more… complicated to answer than to answer what life fundamentally is. For, while many can simply say that life is the simple state of being, of functioning and able to make choices based on some sort of stimulus, and even having organic processes or material, this question proves much more challenging.

When does a man cease to be a man? Or for that matter, when does a man become a man? While the latter is rarely challenged, at least by those in this line of work, the former is faced constantly.

A man is wedded to a machine, his flesh replaced out of desire or necessity by robotics. Does that man cease to be a man? Does he become a different entity, something much more dangerous and strange? Or does the man retain his humanity, despite the physical difference?

Many will argue that it is the mind that defines humanity. That it is that consciousness that will preserve the man underneath the metal, that as long as the mind is there, the man is as well.

With the advent of Artificial Intelligence however, that theory has been thrown into harsh debate. If an AI could be created that could remember and grow with its experiences, would it truly be simply a construct? If it could think and reason like a human being, would then it become human? If a man was simply a mind, and an AI, basically a new type of mind, was to be created, what would separate man from machine? Who would become the judge?

Or worse. If a man's life was in mortal jeopardy, and an AI was created to simply replicate that mind, to remember what he or she remembered, to act as he or she acted, would it be human still? Or would it be fully machine?

It is here that the lines between man and machine become blurred. It is here that the very value of human life comes in question. And it is here that many lose faith and cease to work. Or they find new life in the question and strive to find its answer and they work harder than ever.

I find that I have sidestepped that question. It no longer concerns me what the answer is. Why should it? All that matters is the here and now, not on the nature of those we protect, but on the very fact that they can carry out the duties that we demand from them. That they can continue their work until the final goal is ultimately reached. It is no longer an issue of what they are, simply that they are. The ends justify the means, no matter how grisly it gets.

Peace must be preserved.

Justice must be served.

Those who are guilty must get what they deserve.

If this costs all of us our humanity, then so be it. We will pay gladly. To save humanity, there must be sacrifices. Who better to pay that cost than those whom operate in such close contact to those whom must continue on, no matter what?

Most of us are expendable; I am told I am not. Whether I am or not cannot be considered. Like those who fight, I will do what I must. I will fight. I will make sure that the end for which we have sacrificed so much is achieved, so as it was not all in vain. That would be the cruelest fate of all.

All of our sins will be called at the end. All of us will have to pay for what we have done. All of our transgressions. All of our blasphemies. We will all pay. But not now. We cannot afford it.

They cannot afford it.

And if those we protect cannot, then if it happened, all would be lost.

All would be in vain.

There would truly be no more hope.

Those few who chose to stand for themselves would be obliterated instantly. And then, true hell would befall us all.

We have worked tirelessly for that one purpose alone. I have done things that are unspeakable, things that I would be killed for immediately at any other time in history. But as I have said, in this time, any means will be justified if the end can just be achieved. Everything hinges on that. For, if they fail, we all will fall.

They accept us without question. They let us in, no matter what had happened before, where we stood before this Cataclysm. There is no doubt that we will all eventually have to face the past we are running from. But that will only happen if we all survive.

So we join the Administration, hoping to preserve mankind by making sure the Robot Masters are prepared, that both the man and machine of them are taken care of. We become Mechanics, the only real link the Robot Masters have between their mechanical world and humanity.

However, I fear we have made a terrible mistake. We… no I have created something that may destroy us all. For the sake of mankind, I hope the Administration understands what it is I must do. I pray they do not find until it is under control.

For if they find out what I have done to _him_, I fear that they will overlook my standing, my importance, and destroy me.

The other Mechanics would not stand for it. They would protect me.

And then, all would be lost.

* * *

So... there you have it. Part B of chapter twenty, but here its chapter 21. Remember, this, chapter 20, and possibly chapter 22 are all parts of the same chapter. They're just broken up for convienence. Cause... that would be a lot.

Again, tried something new. I don't know how it worked out, but... there you have it.

Remember, review! I want to know what you guys think of these different styles. If they're good, I'll continue messing with them. If not, I'll find something new.


	22. BHK

A short step from a tall tower…

A short step from a tall tower…

…And falling was the only sensation.

There was no end to the fall. Only darkness. No light shone to indicate even the passage of distance. There was no air rushing past. Only silence. Until, suddenly, a single light shone.

Only to illuminate the ground rushing towards him.

Sitting up abruptly, a young man grasped his chest, the sweaty, black and white patterned shirt sticking to his hand. He looked around wildly, the light colored hair hiding his eyes as they searched around the room.

It was a pure white room, and as far as he could tell, there was absolutely nothing within it, save him. The room was incredibly large. In fact, he could not tell if where the floor stopped and the wall began. If he didn't concentrate, it felt as if he was in the middle of a void, with no connection to anything.

Swallowing, he put his hands on the smooth floor and pushed himself to his feet. Standing, he swayed. He thought that he was going to fall over. He shuddered; the very thought of falling terrified him.

Slowly putting one foot in front of the other, he walked shakily. His heart was still pounding from the dream he had. Or… was it a dream? He had been atop a glass tower, fighting… something. He had beat it, but had taken a step backwards, and…

He shuddered again. That fall had felt real. So had the last hit he had received.

Instinctively, he put a hand to his shoulder. He stopped, feeling a small wound, scabbed over under his shirt. That was where he was hit in the dream. He ran his finger down the mark, swallowing. Does that mean that the fall was real?

But he had survived. He had awoken here. It had to be a dream. It had to just be a coincidence. It was just a weird dream. He had more pressing matters facing him anyways.

Shaking his head, he grimaced. Where was he? Why was he here? Then another thought dawned on him. It echoed in his mind.

_More importantly… who am I?_

"I can answer that inquiry, if I choose to." A deep, robotic voice said from behind. Spinning on his heel, the young man turned franticly, his eyes searching for whoever had spoken. They landed on a single figure, its body covered in oversized gray clothing, its faced covered in a strange mask.

The young man's eyes narrowed. "How… how did you know what I'm-" he was cut off as the masked figure spoke.

"Thinking? It is a simple matter that you don't need to be illuminated upon. There are more important matters to be addressed, and we have very little time." The figure turned its back on the man, beginning to walk away.

Shaking his head, the light haired man ran after him. Sliding to a stop, he threw an arm out. "I have a right to know! Who… am I?"

The masked figure looked down at the boy, a strangle chuckle escaping from behind its mask. "A right to know? Those who are not supposed to exist have no such right. You should be grateful that you even are allowed to live. You should thank me."

The young man stopped. Not supposed to exist? No such right? What was this person talking about? He was right here! Of course he was supposed to exist! He was a person, just like anyone else! He looked up at the figure angrily, and swung at the masked figure. "Who the hell are you to tell me that? I have the right for the very reason I am here!"

Dodging the fist easily, the masked figure threw its head back and laughed. The sound was distorted by the mask, and caused the young man to sweat. "You have much to learn…" It said after a moment of regaining its composure. It pointed to the small, silver _X_ necklace hanging around the youth's neck. "For convince sake, you will be called X. It has nothing to do with your true name. You must discover that for yourself." The figure began to walk again, completely ignoring the man.

The blonde haired kid, now called… X?, stood there, staring at the figure's back. Shaking his head, he sighed. He didn't understand any of this. He had no right to know anything, but he could figure it out on his own? What the hell did that mean? Why wasn't he supposed to exist? How was he supposed to learn all of this? Who the hell even was that guy?

Without stopping, the figure called to X. "If you hope to find the answers simply by standing there, staring at your shoes, perhaps I chose the wrong person to try and complete this task."

X's head shot up to stare at the figure. "Maybe you did. Why don't you let me out of here if you did then?"

The figure chuckled. "The only way you will find your answers is if you stick with me. You only exist because I wish it. The way I see it, you need me. I could find another easily. So as I see it, you should work on your manners and fall in line."

Clenching his fists, X shook his head. He knew nothing, and this weird masked figure was already asking his to do something. Something he had no idea what it was. While it was true that he needed the guy to find any answers, he wasn't about to simply follow along like a puppy. The figure had known what he was thinking. The figure had known what he was about to say. For all X knew, this masked freak knew everything. So that meant…

"Yes, I know what you are going to do. I know what you want to do and what you truly will do," The figure said, stopping. It did not look at X. "But I will repeat; we do not have time to sit here and ideally discuss. You will find your answers soon enough. I can only tell you this though. You were born from light, but forced to walk in darkness. I need someone who can walk in the light and destroy that very darkness which damned you." Reaching out, the figure pressed its hand against a wall. A portion of it slid out, opening to yet another room.

Grudgingly, X followed him into the room. He had no idea what the man was talking about. Born from light? What was that supposed to mean? This entire place didn't make sense. Then there was the wound on his shoulder… He shook his head. He just hoped the masked figure had some sort of answers. It seemed like it knew everything else about him. He just hoped he wouldn't have to wait too long to actually get the answers.

Entering the room, the door slid shut behind him with a hiss. Turning, he stared at it. It reminded him of… something. But he couldn't remember what or where. Biting the inside of his lip in anger, he turned.

This room was as empty as the last. It was simply a large, gray room. Apparently they weren't going to stay here very long however, as the figure placed his hand on yet another wall. Another door slid open, and the man walked through this one as well.

As X approached it however, it slid shut in his face. Looking at it strangely, he placed his hand where he had seen the masked man place his own. Nothing happened however. Slamming his hands on the door, he yelled out, "Old man! What's going on?"

There was a chuckle as X continued to slam on the door. "Before you can move on… You must show that you can confront the darkness…." There was a strange hissing noise behind him. Turning, X pushed himself against a wall. A figure dressed in all white stood before him, a strange helmet covering its head. It pointed its broadsword at X, the strange armor it was wearing clinking together.

X pushed himself against the door. What was he supposed to do? Fight an armor wearing knight wannabe with his bare hands? This was insane!

The knight lunged at him, his sword's tip pointed directly at X's chest. Tucking his shoulder, X rolled to the left and out of the way of the knight's lunge. The knight, unable to stop his lunge, embedded his sword into the door.

Leaping to his feet, X looked wildly around the room. It wasn't that big; the white room had been much larger than this. And there was not a thing he could use against the knight. How exactly was he supposed to fight?

He swallowed as the knight pulled his sword out of the door and turned to face him. Hefting the blade, he ran at X once more. As he approached, he raised the sword to swing.

Shaking his head, X ran at the knight. Right before he reached him, he dropped to the ground and slid between the knight's legs, rising to his feet the second he could. He shook his head. There was no way he could fight him! And he could only dodge for so long… What was he supposed to do?

The knight, not putting as much energy into his charge this time, turned and was upon X almost immediately. Before he could swing however, X caught his hands and tried to take the sword out of the knight's hands. They both struggled over the hilt for a moment, before the knight raised his leg and kicked X in the stomach, sending the youth reeling.

Slamming into one of the walls, X grimaced. The knight, not intending to let the opportunity escape him, charged at the stunned young man. Raising his sword over his head, he swung.

Punching the wall behind him, X rolled against the wall as the sword barley missed him. He continued to roll as the knight slashed again, this time horizontally. Once more, the knight barley missed him.

Looking at the door, X yelled at it. "How am I supposed to fight? How am I supposed to confront him?" There was no answer, save the knight reaching out to grab his shirt.

He pulled X close to him, staring at him from behind his helm. Lifting him off of the ground, the knight slammed flipped his sword in his hand, before slamming the butt of it into X's chest, letting him fall to the floor.

Hitting the ground, X coughed, a bit of blood escaping his lips. He could see from the faint shadows that the knight was once again raising his sword. X could not move in time to dodge this one. The only thing he could do was throw up his arms in protest.

There was a clash of steel on steel. X looked up in surprise as the knight leapt back. In the youth's hands were two thin, curved blades. The blades themselves were in the exact shape of one of the arms on X's necklace. He couldn't help but stare at them in surprise. How had they gotten there?

The knight was surprised as well. He was now keeping his distance, his masked face following the blades.

The blades felt familiar in X's hands. They had been in his dream as well. He stared at them, not able to take his eyes away from them. These, along with his scar, seemed to prove that that dream wasn't a dream. But then… why was he still alive?

Nothing made sense. The 'dream', the masked figure, this fight. Nothing. In disgust, he threw both blades to the floor. "I'm not going to fight!" he yelled.

"Then you will die," the knight said, his voice scratchy. Once more he charged at X, his blade flashing in the strange twilight of the room.

X's eyes flashed at the knight angrily, before he met the knight's charge, his swords somehow once more in his hands. The two slammed into each other, X's swords crossed to catch the knight's. They both leapt away from each other, but X, flipping the sword in his right hand, threw it at the knight.

Caught off guard, the knight raised his own sword to block it. It bounced off of the broadsword's blade, but was followed immediately by the rushing form of X. Catching the knight once more off guard, he leapt into the air, slashing upwards, carrying the knight with him. Flipping around, X caught his right sword. Still flipping, he used his momentum to get above the knight.

Knocking the knight's sword out of his hand, X slashed across the knight's chest in the pattern of an x. Flipping once more, he slammed his feet into the knight, forcing him to fall faster to the ground. The knight hit the ground with enough force to cause him to bounce. X landed a few feet away from the fallen knight, panting. He stared at the door the masked man had disappeared through.

"There! It's done! Now tell me… who am I?" he yelled, the swords disappearing from his hands.

Laughter filled the room. "Oh, you are mistaken…" the voice of the masked figure said, "Turn around…."

Almost instantly, he turned. The knight was rising to his feet. The armor covering his chest was cracked from the attack, pieces of it falling away in chips. But the area that seemed the most damaged was the helm. It seemed as if it would fall apart at any moment.

Not wanting to give the knight a chance, X spun, kicking out at the man. His leg hit him squarely in the chest, knocking him back. At the end of X's spin, the swords were once more in his hands, the right one once more flying out at the knight. It met no block this time, instead slamming right into the knight's helmet. It shattered as he fell backwards.

A new door opened. But, X was not going to step through it, not yet. He wanted to see exactly whom he had been fighting. It might give him a hint as to who he really was.

When he caught sight of the face however, he recoiled in horror. Backing away from it, he shook his head. The sword disappeared from his hands as he clenched his eyes shut. It couldn't be true… It didn't make any sense! How could it?

Laughter filled the room again as X found himself backing through the door. His feet found the edge of a ledge. His eyes flew open as he grasped for something to hold onto. But the walls seemed to move away from his hands. Loosing his balance, he fell off of the glass tower and into darkness.

But this time, the thing he saw was the face of the knight.

His own face.

X's face.

And as he fell, the masked man laughed.

* * *

That's it. All three parts of chapter twenty. Even though divides these up into three chapters, chapters 20, 21, and 22 are supposed to be all read as one. I just divided them because of time to write and convience to read.

Now, here's the real question... who can make sense of this? You see, all of these piece of chapter twenty follow something. That's why they're all part of one chapter, even though they were big enough to be their own. Now, why did I do that?

What does it all mean? Can anyone figure it out? Or is it all going to stay a mistery until the end?

A film. Something that sounds like a statement from someone within the Administration. And now, a strange blonde person. What connects them?

Why were they important enough to dedicate an entire 4000+ words to?

Can anyone figure it out?

Make sure to leave a review. Say what you think, any guess on what's going on. Anything at all. Just make sure to do so.


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